
Glass. 
Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



HEALTH and LONGEVITY 



THROUGH 



RATIONAL DIET 



PRACTICAL HINTS IN REGARD TO FOOD AND THE 

USEFULNESS OR HARMFUL EFFECTS OF THE 

VARIOUS ARTICLES OF DIET. 



BY 

Dr. Arnold Lorand 

CARLSBAD 



"Tell me what thy food is, and I 
will tell thee what thou art." 

B RILLAT-S AVARIN 




PHILADELPHIA 

F. A. DAVIS COMPANY, Publishers 

1912 



N^ 



^.V* 



Copyright, October, 1912 

BY 
F. A. DAVIS COMPANY 

Copyright, Great Britain. All Rights Reserved 



Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. 

Press of F. A. Davis Company 

1914-1916 Cherry Street 



% 



/ 



£CI.A337520 



-0^ 



PREFACE. 



Probably but very few physicians have so frequently an 
opportunity to observe the harmful consequences of a faulty 
mode of nourishment as one who is practising as a Carlsbad 
bath physician. It is a surprising fact that even scholars well 
versed in a great variety of subjects often display the veriest 
ignorance or show the greatest carelessness precisely in respect 
to what and the manner in which they eat. 

Others, again, fall into the opposite error, — those, for 
example, who studiously avoid all foods containing even a 
trace of uric-acid-forming constituents, lest an excess of such 
substances prove injurious, and meanwhile overlook the fact 
that in addition to such uric-acid-producing components these 
foods contain many other important substances, e.g., certain 
nutritive salts, an insufficient intake of which may result in 
serious injury, particularly in the period of growth and de- 
velopment of the body. 

Because overeating may prove harmful, many persons re- 
strict their diet to such an extent as to do their bodies more 
harm than they would by eating to excess. Every housewife 
knows that her dog or cat will thrive splendidly when plenti- 
fully fed upon proper food, but in the case of her children she 
often overlooks this point. Every farmer, too, is aware of the 
fact that horses require altogether different kinds of food, 
according as they are to be used as draught, riding, or carriage 
horses, and that a dog, to be used in the hunt, as a watch-dog, 
or to draw carts needs a different diet in each case. It is only in 
man that we observe the contrary condition, viz., that persons 
following most diverse occupations, be they laborers or brain- 
workers, scholars, merchants, officials, officers, clergymen, 
physicians, traveling salesmen, factory hands, or field workers, 
— all of them with their dependents, take the same or at least 
very similar foods. 

(Hi) 



iv Preface. 



The diet should vary according to the nature of the occu- 
pation and the functions to be carried out, just as has always 
been the custom in the case of domestic animals. Since cer- 
tain nutritive salts play an important role in the activity of 
various organs, as, e.g., those containing phosphorus in brain 
activity, as full a consideration as possible has been given in 
the present volume to the question of the nutritive salt content 
of all varieties of food. In presenting the quantitative rela- 
tions of these salts as well as the percentages of the various 
classes of foodstuffs contained in the articles of diet considered, 
I have made use of the figures given by Konig, Rubner, Bunge, 
E. Wolff, Robert Hutchison, Gautier, and Balland. 

Since through unintelligent and, one might almost say, 
brutal methods of cooking many important nutritive substances 
and salts are withdrawn from our foods, I have found it neces- 
sary to include a discussion of rational methods of cooking as 
well as of several other questions which lie somewhat outside 
of the sphere of the practising physician. 

Many of the subjects here discussed have previously been 
but little or hardly at all touched upon in scientific works, as, 
e.g., the manner in which various functions such as the intel- 
ligence, the sexual function, etc., can be activated through the 
diet. 

The author is not so presumptuous as to affirm that he 
has already definitely solved the question as to how it is pos- 
sible to convert a stupid school child into a bright one, or to 
restore a person sexually weakened through congenital de- 
ficiency or as a result of various vices to normal sexual vigor, 
with the aid of an appropriately selected diet and certain kinds 
of food. If, however, he has succeeded in making some slight 
contribution to the subject or even only in stimulating further 
research along these lines, as well as in eradicating certain 
faulty and life-shortening practices in regard to eating, the 
purpose of this work will have been fulfilled. 

Dr. Arnold Lorand. 



INTRODUCTION. 

BY 

Victor C. Vaughan. 



When Dr. Lorand asked me to write a foreword to the 
American edition of his well-known and highly esteemed treat- 
ise on "Rational Diet" I gladly consented. The author has 
had large practical experience in the dietetic treatment of many 
disorders at the greatest and oldest of the world's health re- 
sorts, Carlsbad. This resort, annually visited by thousands 
who come from all parts of the world, is free from medical 
quackery, and the simple life enjoyed there is not the least help- 
ful of its beneficial agencies. Moreover, Dr. Lorand has been 
an extensive and observant traveler, especially interested in the 
foods used and the methods of preparation employed by differ- 
ent peoples. I am fairly conversant with the German edition of 
this popular work on dietetics, and I have read the proof of 
the English translation. While I might take issue with the 
author on certain unimportant points, it is my conviction that 
the work has been admirably done, and is certainly free from 
the fads which render so many of the books written on this 
subject, for the laity, harmful. The highest scientific authori- 
ties have been consulted, and their researches made compre- 
hensible to the non-professional. The body is a machine, the 
most complicated and neatly adjusted one in existence. Foods 
supply not only the fuel used in running this machine, but also 
the material with which the wear and tear must be replacd. 
Every engineer knows that he cannot get the greatest efficiency 
out of his machine unless he supplies the fire-box with the best, 
high-grade fuel. With dirty, low-grade coal the result is not 
up to the standard, and when it contains a large amount of sul- 

(v) 



vi Introduction. 



phur and other impurities the life of the machine is impaired. 
Pure air to breathe, wholesome water to drink, and proper food 
to eat should be secured by the State for all its citizens, the 
poorest as well as the richest. The man who traffics in impure, 
diseased, and adulterated food is a malefactor, and should be 
treated as such. We may have good laws upon these subjects, 
but they will not be adequately enforced until the public be- 
comes properly educated along these lines. The purpose of 
this book is to contribute to this much-needed education. A 
government which permits the sale of injurious foods, or allows 
the price of proper foods to be manipulated by any man or 
combination of men for financial gain, is not serving its citi- 
zens in a just, wise, or humane manner. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction, with Remarks upon the Importance of 
the Appetite and the Object of the Processes of 
Nourishment 1 

CHAPTER I. 
The Influence of Food upon Man. 

1. The Influence of Food upon the Outward Appearance of Man, 

His Stature and His Development 10 

2. The Influence of Food upon the Nervous System and upon the 

Attributes of the Mind and Temperament 15 

3. The Influence of Foodstuffs upon the Teeth, Pharynx, and 

Vocal Apparatus 24 

4. The Influence of Food upon the Digestive Organs 28 

5. The Influence of Food upon Other Important Organs 48 

CHAPTER II. 
The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 

1. The Importance of the Various Foodstuffs, and the Quantities 

which Should be Used 57 

2. The Nutritive Salts and their Great Importance 64 

3. Water 77 

4. Hints Concerning Diet in Various Climates and During Differ- 

ent Seasons of the Year, and for Different Ages and Sexes . . 80 

5. Several Observations Concerning Cooking, Especially that of 

Fish and Vegetables 84 

6. Hints upon the Mode of Eating, and the Rational Division of 

Meals 88 

CHAPTER III. 
The Injurious Modes of Feeding. 

1. The Injurious Effect of a One-sided Diet 94 

2. The Consequences of Harmful and Insufficient Diet 97 

3. Tuberculosis as a Consequence of Deficient Nutrition, and its 

Prevention by Adequate Nourishment 101 

4. The Untoward Consequences of Overnutrition 106 

(vii) 



viii Contents. 



CHAPTER IV. 
The Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 

, N ^-r T^- PAGE 

(a) Meat Diet. 

1. Concerning Meat and Various Kinds of Fish 109 

2. Concerning Slaughter Wastes, Sausages, and the Value of 

Blood-pudding 125 

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Meat Extracts and Meat 

Soups 129 

4. The Advantages of Meat in Small Quantities, and Disadvan- 

tages in Large Amounts 135 

5. Concerning the Necessity of a Humane Method of Killing 

Animals 140 

(b) Fish Diet. 

1. Nutritive Value and other Properties of Various Kinds of Fish 

Foods 144 

2. The Advantages of a Fish Diet 152 

(c) Oysters and Shellfish; their Advantages and Disad- 
vantages 156 

(d) The Advantageous Properties of Eggs 160 

Fish-roe and Caviar 167 

0) Milk Diet. 

1. Milk and its Importance 169 

2. Various Kinds of Milk: That of the Sheep, Ass, Goat, and 

Mare 175 

3. Sour-milk Products: Sour milk; Kefir; Kumyss; Jogurt, etc. .. 179 

4. Various Milk Products: Cream; Buttermilk 182 

5. Cheese 185 

6. Butter and Oleomargarine 189 

7. Hints Concerning the Advantage of a Milk Diet and its Prac- 

tical Use 193 

8. Additional Note Concerning the Benefit Occasionally to be 

Derived from a Glass of Hot Milk 198 

(/) Fats of Animal Origin 200 

(g) Leguminous Vegetables and their Importance 202 

Addendum. Special Advantages of the Soy Bean 208 

(h) Cereals. 

1. The Various Cereals 212 

2. Concerning Foods made with Flour, and Noodles. The Useful 

Properties of Macaroni and of Certain Kinds of Pancakes . . 219 

3. Concerning Bread, and the Advantages of Brown Bread over 

White Bread 222 

4. The Advantages of Rice as Food 226 

5. Corn : Its Advantages as a Food 230 

(i) Starch-containing Tubers. 
White and Sweet Potatoes, Manioc, Sago, Tapioca, and 
their Advantages 234 



Contents. ix 



PAGE 



(;') Mushrooms 241 

(k) Green Vegetables. 

1. Leaf and Root Vegetables 246 

2. The Advantages of Sauerkraut 259 

3. Tubers, Husk Vegetables, and "Vegetable Fruits" 261 

4. Concerning Winter Vegetables, Canned and Preserved Vege- 

tables, and Salads 267 

(/) The Fruit Diet. 

1. Fruit as a Food, and the Nutritive Value of the Various 

Varieties 270 

2. Concerning Apples, Apple-juice, Apple-tea, Cider. Other 

Fruits having Seeds and Pits 274 

3. Berries 280 

4. The Benefit to be Derived from the Daily Use of Cherries 282 

5. Grapes and their Advantages. Hot-house Grapes (Franken- 

thal, Colman, Alicante) 284 

6. Concerning the Advantages of the Grape Cure 287 

7. The Advantages of Fruit Juices, Marmalades, and Jellies 289 

8. Chestnuts and Fat-containing Fruits, with Remarks Concern- 

ing Vegetable Fats 291 

9. Tropical Fruits and their Advantages 296 

10. The Special Advantages of Bananas 299 

11. Oranges, Lemons, and Grapefruit 302 

12. Concerning Certain Varieties of Fruits Little Used Except in 

their Native Countries (Pineapple, Kaki, Chinese Lichees, 
Mangoes, and Guavas) 304 

13. Practical Hints Concerning Fruit and the Advantages of a 

Fruit Diet 306 

(m) Beverages. 

1. Coffee 309 

2. Tea 313 

3. Mate and its Advantages 316 

4. Cocoa, Chocolate, and their Advantages 318 

5. Alcoholic Beverages 323 

(n) Sugar, Saccharin, Ice-cream, Honey, and Maple Syrup. 328 
(o) Injurious and Uninjurious Spices and Condiments 332 



CHAPTER V. 

Vegetarianism and its Advantages and Disadvantages. 
Hints for the Prevention of the Latter. 

1. The Dangers of a Strictly Vegetarian Diet 336 

2. Hints in Regard to the Rational Procedure in a Strictly Vege- 

tarian Diet 340 

3. The Special Advantages of the Milk- Egg-Vegetable Diet 346 



Contents. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 
Useful Hints. 

PAGE 

1. Foods Easy and Difficult to Digest 350 

2. Foods Causing Flatulence. The Prevention and Dietetic Treat- 

ment of Flatulence 353 

3. Laxative Foods 356 

4. Remarks Concerning the Prevention and Dietetic Treatment 

of Gout. List of Foods Forming Uric Acid 358 

5. Practical Hints for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity. 

Dietetic Measures 360 

6. Concerning Fattening Foods. Fattening Treatment 363 

CHAPTER VII. 

Hints for Those Obliged to Take their Meals in Res- 
taurants. The Injurious Effects of the "Table 
d'Hote" Diet 365 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Increased Activity of Certain Functions- 
Brought About by Food. 

1. Concerning the Increase of Intellectual Activity Brought 

About by a Suitable Diet 372 

2. Hints Concerning the Diet of Brain Workers 379 

3. The Increase of Sexual Activity by a Specially Adapted Diet . 384 

4. The Dietetic Treatment of Impotence as well as of Sexual 

Apathy and Sterility 388 

5. Addendum. Diet to be Used in Sexual Abstention 391 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Increased Muscular Power Resulting from a Suit- 
able Diet 392 

Addendum. Hints Concerning the Diet during the Fatiguing 
Journeys in Mountain Climbing, Rowing, etc 395 

CHAPTER X. 

Conclusion. 

The Relationship of Food to Old Age and Longevity 397 

Glossary 403 

List of Diseases 407 

Index 409 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



INTRODUCTION, WITH REMARKS UPON THE IMPOR- 
TANCE OF THE APPETITE AND THE OBJECT OF 
THE PROCESSES OF NOURISHMENT. 

Two instincts, that of hunger and the sexual impulse, 
hold man enthralled in an iron grip, and afford, consciously 
or unconsciously, the motive power for many bad, as well as 
for many useful, acts. Both man and beast owe their existence 
and their perpetuation to these impulses. 

These two instincts worry and torment all living beings, 
and in order that their calls may be more readily obeyed they 
hold out the lure of enjoyment. A dog may be ever so 
hungry, yet often refuse a food which may be most nourishing, 
if it does not appeal to his taste, and rats often die of hunger 
in captivity, rather than eat food which they do not like. Man, 
with his intelligence, is an exception, and will often eat dis- 
tasteful food when starving; no matter how nourishing such 
food may be, however, he will only take that which is barely suffi- 
cient to still the pangs of hunger. In order that man or animals 
shall take a sufficient quantity of useful food to satisfy bodily 
requirements, omniscient Nature has at the same time pro- 
vided him with the sense of taste, which acts as a bait 
for enjoyment. Thus, albumin, a most important foodstuff, 
would, in the form of white of tgg, be refused by many dogs, 
even though suffering with hunger; when, however, the albu- 
min has combined with it a savory flavor, as in the form of 
,the extractives in meat, the dog will eagerly devour it. The 

(i) 



Health Through Rational Diet 



second important constituent of the food, the carbohydrates, 
would not be very tempting in the original tasteless form of 
starch, but when it is combined with a series of tasteful sub- 
stances, as, e.g., in the potato, it forms a favorite and universal 
food staple. Fat, likewise, does not taste nearly as good in 
the form of pure oil as it does in butter in which aroma and 
savor pave the way to its enjoyment. 

The child, with its undeveloped intelligence, prefers those 
foods which appeal most strongly to the sense of taste, e.g., the 
sugar in candy. That milk which is most rich in sugar, like 
mother's milk, is most desired by the nursling. In milk are 
contained all three of the chief components of food, and the 
sugar contained in it makes it pleasant to take. A milk entirely 
free from sugar would scarcely be accepted by the child. 

Besides the albumin, fat, and carbohydrates, the nutritive 
salts also play an important role as essential nutritive sub- 
stances, and the delightful fragrance and taste of the fruits 
which contain them in large quantities make such fruits very 
tempting. 

In this way necessary substances, which exert a great in- 
fluence upon the composition and constitution of the blood 
and our most important tissues, are taken into the body. 

Taste-exciting substances are, to be sure, rather perish- 
able, and are only present in their entirety while the plants 
remain in relation to the earth through the agency of their 
roots. When grass is mown and allowed to dry upon the 
meadow, its perishable taste-arousing components, which ex- 
cite the cow to constant eating, are lost. This is particularly 
the case if the grass has not been piled up in mounds, to prevent 
the carrying off of these components by the wind. The quality 
of the butter subsequently obtained is also affected under such 
conditions. I have often noticed the fact that a bilberry or 
raspberry tastes best when plucked from the bush. After 
having been picked for some time, much of the aroma is lost. 



Introduction. 



The most tasty fruit and vegetable foods can, therefore, only 
be thoroughly enjoyed by those living in the country; we, in 
the cities, get only a fraction of this enjoyment, for such foods 
rarely come to us quite fresh. How true the saying of Horace : 
"O fortunalos illos agricolas !" — O happy country people ! The 
tilling of the soil by farmers provides us with plentiful and 
healthy foods when all the appliances which modern science 
has given us are brought into use. It is surely an anomaly 
when the land is so neglected as is the case with thousands 
of hectares in Austria and Hungary, and in Germany, 
which remain uncultivated. With good will and industry, 
these fallow lands could, with the aid of modern agricultural 
knowledge, be made to furnish us an ample supply of bread, 
fruit, and vegetables. Much is accomplished in farming in the 
United States, where the government sends entire schools to 
outlying districts in cars especially constructed for the purpose, 
and equipped with the necessary agricultural apparatus, in 
order to teach the farmers how to obtain a tenfold return from 
their fields, cattle, and poultry. How desirable it would be for 
us to have such a useful arrangement, in order to further 
the rational nourishment of our people! The yearly emigra- 
tion from Austria and Hungary of hundreds of thousands of 
our most useful population, the farmers or husbandmen, to 
America or Canada, where virgin lands, promising a rich 
harvest, are given to them free of cost, could thus be avoided. 
Of those who remain at home, thousands forsake their former 
healthy vocation, and, instead of being happy in the possibility 
of breathing the delightful, health-giving open air of nature 
itself, they sacrifice their health in the large cities, in the smoky 
impure air of the factories, and eat food which, at home, would 
have been despised by their dogs. 

It is true that those who have abandoned their mother 
country find in Canada a fresh, virgin soil, which soon fur- 
nishes plentiful nourishment, while, with us, the earth, in the 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



hundreds of years during which it has been cultivated, has 
already yielded almost all of its nutritive salts. 

But the illustrious Justus von Liebig taught us how to 
overcome this difficulty : we must artificially provide the plants 
with these salts ; and since we ingest these plants as our food, 
sometimes through the circuitous route of the meat of animals 
who have themselves been nourished by them, these nutritive 
salts will be taken into our bodies and exert an active influence 
in their building up and health. As a matter of fact, nearly all 
the substances contained in our bodies are brought in from the 
outside, and this mainly through the food we take. The com- 
ponents of the earth are also absorbed in the form of salts, 
which are concerned principally with the formation of our 
bony structure. Another element, besides the earth, plays an 
important role in the nutrition both of plants and of ourselves. 
However much of nutritive salts be at the disposal of plants, 
these salts are of no use until the rain comes and takes them in 
solution ; in the same way we are enabled to absorb our food 
only by the aid of water. 

Still another body, the air, is of great importance in the 
building up of our food. Plants absorb the all-important 
carbon from the air, and many of them — as the leguminous 
plants — also take up nitrogen through their roots with the aid 
of the nitrogen-gathering bacteria. When we eat these plants, 
or the meat of animals which have fed upon them, the nitrogen 
is taken up into our systems. 

In addition to the elements mentioned, a powerful heavenly 
body comes to our help in the formation of our nourishment, 
one without which no man, animal, or plant could exist, — 
the sun. 

By the aid of the sun's rays, the carbonic acid of the air, 
through the agency of the chlorophyll, furnishes the starch 
required for the healthy growth of plants. The longer the sun 
shines upon the plants, the more starch is formed in them. 



Introduction. 



For this reason, the plants — trees and fruits — growing in the 
bright sunshine of the south contain more starch, to which 
millions of savages owe their principal food. Thus, we see 
that nothing is lost in this world, and that the sun's rays 
have not shone in vain upon these plants, since we can absorb 
the energy stored up in them through the agency of the sun's 
rays, by eating their starch-containing fruits, such as bananas, 
figs, rice, etc. Even those rays of the sun which streamed down 
millions of years ago upon the plants of former ages, including 
the stately conifers of those times, are not lost to us. They are 
useful since we now burn upon our hearths the products of 
those distant ages, transformed into coal. With their heat 
the warmth, and with their burning the light, of the sun reap- 
pear, even as they do when we hold a match to the petroleum 
in our lamps — also a distillation product of former ages. We 
thus, in a sense, not only consume the sunlight, but also cook 
our meals thereby. Even the lifeless mineral world lends us 
its aid for our nourishment. Thus, the phosphates, found in 
large quantities in South Carolina, Florida, Algeria, etc., are 
used by us to fertilize our fields, in order to furnish the neces- 
sary phosphorus to the grain ; and from the grain, we absorb 
this phosphorus in our food. The manufacturing industries 
likewise, though otherwise the foes of land cultivation, are 
helpful to us, as the phosphorus used in fertilizing is also ob- 
tainable from the waste material of iron factories, in the form 
of ground Thomas phosphates. Nitrogen, too, can be elab- 
orated from the sulphate of ammonium contained in the residue 
of the gas and coal industries, or gathered from the air by 
the aid of electricity. 

All the elements thus enter into our nourishment, and, 
since we are built up by what we absorb, we are also composed 
of these elements. After our death, when our bodies are de- 
composed, these substances are set free again. It is literally 
true, as the Holy Scriptures state, that man is made of dust 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



and to dust returns. New organisms are built up with the 
elements again rendered free by the decomposition of our 
bodies, and it would appear as though our decay and natural 
death were a grim necessity, in order that from our worn-out 
and decomposed component parts new combinations with fresh 
energy, new beings, in fact, should arise. 

From the organic portions, the salts, and other substances 
which have been liberated from our moldering bodies and 
taken up by the water in the earth and springs, new plant 
bodies, e.g., grass, spring up. As the grass is eaten by the 
cattle, flesh is again formed from it, which can be utilized by 
us, or is once more excreted, in the dung, forming an efficient 
fertilizer, through the influence of which the most juicy fruits, 
the finest strawberries and vegetables, grow, again to be ab- 
sorbed by us. Thus, in life a continuous cycle is established of 
which the process of nourishment is the activating influence. 
Old forms of life disappear — for plants have life, as do man 
and the animals — and new ones are engendered. The above 
observations, however, also show us that cremation of dead 
bodies does not fit in with this, our predestined use ; it removes 
our bodies from their ethical duty, the elaboration of new 
living beings. Since the thought of the burial in a closed grave 
is really painful to many persons, it would be of use and would 
further this ethical end if the ashes, instead of being uselessly 
sealed up, were scattered broadcast over the fields in the spring- 
time, where they would lie in the light of the sun until the rain 
could carry their helpful influence into the soil. What a beau- 
tiful destination this would be for many who during their life- 
time were able to accomplish but little, thus to serve mankind 
— possibly in this way accomplishing their most useful act! 
The church, too, could find no objection to this, since the dust 
would again return to the dust from which it had arisen. 

Since so many valuable substances, among them most 
useful mineral constituents, unite in providing for our nourish- 



Introduction. 



ment and are embodied in us, it must surely follow that they 
are accomplishing a higher mission than the mere tickling of 
our palates. He who believes that we eat for the sole purpose 
of satisfying our hunger and of satiating or indulging our- 
selves when our food tastes good only proves his own simplic- 
ity, and gives us reason to believe in the truth of the words of 
Socrates: "The bad live to eat and drink, but the good eat 
and drink to live." No; we must energetically proclaim our 
belief, that eating is a higher function, — a kind of religious 
act. We eat in order to build up our tissues, we eat in order 
to put ourselves into condition to withstand the endless assaults 
of lower organisms which attack us by day and by night, and 
we also eat in order that our organs, and in particular our 
brain, will be enabled rightly to perform their functions ! We 
are only able, however, to carry out these functions when we 
have absorbed certain salts, the nutritive salts, with our food 
and drink, among them being phosphorus and lime, without 
which life is impossible. In addition to the nutritive salts 
many important medicinal substances, such as iron, iodine, and 
even salicylic acid, are ingested with certain fruit berries. 
Though the amounts absorbed are minimal, homeopathic doses, 
yet they are of no inconsiderable importance in the chemical 
laboratory represented by our bodies. In this sense it might 
be said that we are taking in along with our food medicinal 
or curative agents no doubt even more efficacious than those 
compounded by the druggists. It follows, therefore, that he 
who nourishes himself with wisely chosen food can maintain 
his body in such a state of health that he will not need any 
form of artificial medicine. Not only does health of body and 
mind depend upon the food, but it is also built up from child- 
hood, and appears to be responsible for the making of man 
what he is, — the most advanced creation of the animal world. 
While man has attained this station by virtue of his intelli- 
gence, we shall show later on that this intelligence, too, depends 



8 Health Through Rational Diet, 



&• 



upon his food. As a matter of fact, we find that wherever man 
is restricted to a sparse, one-sided, and incomplete diet, — and 
that of most animals is of this nature, — as are the inhabitants 
of many of the southern islands, and the Bushmen, his intelli- 
gence is likewise of the lowest order. Thus, the ancient Aztecs, 
who already cultivated corn and cocoa, and lived on a plentiful 
and varied diet, although principally a vegetable one, had a 
well-ordered state, with courts of justice very similar to our 
own. We can also show, by means of instructive examples 
of which we shall give several later on, how both man and 
beast are made what they are by their foods. I would like, 
however, to cite here one example from the life history of the 
bees, quoted from Roberts. As soon as the bees need a new 
queen, they feed the larva of a worker with the finest portions 
of the jelly-like substance contained in the hives, called "royal 
jelly" by the English bee cultivators. While the rest of the 
larvae, which are to form the workers, only get this dainty 
substance on the first day, the one selected to be the queen is 
constantly fed with it until fully grown. As the result, a bee 
is developed which is several times as large as the others, and 
is also more intelligent. Many examples can, moreover, be 
mentioned of the manner in which the various tissues of 
mankind and of animals are influenced by this mode of nourish- 
ment. This will be described in the following chapters, and I 
shall only adduce here the instructive example of an experi- 
ment performed by John Hunter: Birds living upon vege- 
table food, i.e., those eating grain, possess a hard, horny 
musculature in their stomachs, — for otherwise they would not 
be able to digest such hard food. The carnivorous birds, gulls, 
for example, do not require this muscular structure. Hunter, 
the great physiologist and surgeon, fed gulls upon grain only. 
The consequence was that the stomachs of these birds grew 
to be like those of the naturally graminivorous birds. From 
the above it follows that man and beast are made what they 



Introduction. 



are by their food, and, therefore, that we are able, by a deliber- 
ate choice of our food, to influence our minds and bodies in 
the most favorable manner for the accomplishment of our best 
achievements. To bring about this result is the main object of 
our use of food. 



CHAPTER I. 
THE INFLUENCE OF FOOD UPON MAN. 

i. The Influence of Food upon the Outward Appearance of 
Man, His Stature and His Development. 

Food exerts so great an influence upon man that even 
the size of his body may be essentially affected thereby. Thus, 
we see that nations which nourish themselves with articles of 
diet rich in nitrogenous elements, that is, with plenty of meat, 
in addition to a sufficient quantity of the other main groups 
of foodstuffs, e.g., the English, the Swedes, and other nations 
living in a similar way, attain to a considerable physical 
development. 

One might, perhaps, attribute this circumstance to the in- 
fluence of the cold and damp climatic conditions, but even in 
Africa there is a tribe, the Watussi, which is richly nourished, 
since its members possess extensive herds of animals, with 
plenty of pasture land, and these people, according to the 
description given of them by Duke Adolf Frederick of Meck- 
lenburg, are also noted for their great physical development. 
Among them there may be seen many individuals of a height 
of 2 meters, and even more. When, however, an exclusive 
nitrogenous meat diet is indulged in, as with the Eskimos, 
growth is hindered, and low stature is the rule. Not in this 
case either can the climate be considered a factor, for in that 
of tropical Africa there may be found, in addition to the above- 
mentioned giants, tribes of dwarfs, the Batwa and the Wam- 
buti. These forest-living dwarfs are like the Eskimos in that 
(10) 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 11 

they also feed almost exclusively upon meat. There can be 
no question of coincidence in the matter. There must there- 
fore be a certain relationship between modes of nutrition and 
growth. This relationship must be of such a nature that, in 
the pronounced growth of those persons living upon a diet 
rich in meat, a certain influence is brought to bear upon the 
organs which regulate bodily growth. These organs are the 
thyroid gland, the sexual glands, and the hypophysis. They 
influence, in particular, the metabolism of lime and phosphorus, 
which are the main elements of which the bony structure is 
composed. When these organs have degenerated, growth does 
not usually take place, and when there is defective develop- 
ment of the sexual glands the well-known dwarf -like condition 
of the cretins often occurs. The experiments of Briesacher, 
Blum, and others have proven that a meat diet — and this pref- 
erably not in the form of meat which has been boiled out — 
has a stimulating influence upon the thyroid gland. The in- 
creased growth of the nations named above can be accounted 
for in this way, — also the fact often observed among our own 
people, viz., that the children of the wealthy who often eat 
roast meats and other articles of food rich in nitrogenous 
substances frequently grow very tall, while, on the other hand, 
the children of poor people often develop very slowly. This 
would likewise afford an explanation of the large number of 
tall persons in the aristocracy, and among the well-to-do classes 
where riches have existed during generations, as in the 
patrician families. 

In animals, as, for instance, in the horse, the same facts 
may be observed : the English race horses, well fed with oats, 
present a marked contrast to the puny Hungarian farm horses, 
fed principally with hay. 

The children of stunted growth seen in the poorer classes 
can often be made to grow more rapidly by generous feeding 
and perhaps even artificially, so to speak, by the administration 



12 Health Through Rational Diet 

of extracts of the thyroid and sexual glands of animals. 
Hertoghe has shown that a surprising development occurs; in 
backward children after treatment with thyroid extracts. This 
is plainly to be seen in the illustrations he published. I have 
frequently obtained the same results by the administration of 
thyroid extract. Thus, last summer, after six weeks' combined 
treatment with thyroid and testicular extract in the case of a 
14-year-old lad, with undeveloped sexual glands, a very marked 
increase in growth was observed, about 1 cm. each week. 
There occurs also a remarkable development of the mentality 
in such children. Practically the same results may be brought 
about by a carefully selected diet during the period of develop- 
ment in children. I may here also cite a surprising example of 
this in the plant world. If a plant is given plenty of nitrogen 
in manure, it will grow to twice the height, or even more, that 
a similar plant without manure will, especially if phosphorus 
is added to the fertilizing agent. 

When nourishment is poor and insufficient, man cannot 
develop properly; thus, Burton found the inhabitants of 
Dahomey very small and shriveled in appearance. Their food 
is miserable; in order to get meat, they are obliged to fatten 
dogs and eat them. 

When, on the other hand, the food consists almost ex- 
clusively of meat, as with the Eskimos and the dwarf tribes 
of the virgin forests, here, again, man cannot grow properly. 
There must here be some injurious action, due to the excessive 
meat diet, upon the ductless glands which regulate the growth 
of the body, viz., the thyroid and sexual glands. That this 
actually does occur has been shown by the experiments of 
Chalmers Watson and of Hunter. Chalmers Watson found 
that the thyroid gland of rats and of chickens fed only upon 
meat became degenerated. More recently Chalmers Watson 
and Hunter have shown the following: Of 14 rats fed on 
meat alone, only 8 remained alive. During the eight months 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 13 

of the experiment, it became evident that the development of 
these animals was entirely arrested, and that they did not 
grow at all. Houssaye kept hens upon a meat diet, and they 
laid no eggs. It can, moreover, be observed that hens stop 
laying and grow coarse, wild feathers when farmers are care- 
less enough to give them meat or blood as food. This clearly 
demonstrates the influence of food upon the outward appear- 
ance of animals. An instructive example of this fact, related 
by Roberts, may here be cited: In the Amazon region there 
is a variety of green parrot. When the natives feed these 
birds with the fat of large fishes of the siluroid class, found 
in the Amazon, which food the birds greatly enjoy, these 
parrots grow a coat of beautiful red and yellow feathers. In 
the Malay Archipelago a kind of parrot is found which is called 
Lori Rajah — "King Lori." With the usual rice food these 
birds are unattractive in color, but if they are fed upon fish 
their feathers take on a brilliant hue. 

In order that man shall thrive on his food, it must be 
varied, and, above all, it must contain sufficient nitrogen, i.e., 
albumin — though not too much, or it may prove injurious. 
When, however, the diet contains too little thereof, it is much 
more harmful. We see this in the Hindoos, who live mainly 
upon rice and millet. They, as well as the majority of Japanese 
people, who also feed almost exclusively upon rice, and 
likewise the Chinese and the Malays, are all thin; and since 
the nitrogen is not sufficiently represented in their nourish- 
ment, they very rarely grow tall, with the possible exception of 
the Manchus, who resort to a rather richer nitrogenous diet. 
Chalmers Watson and Andrew Hunter also showed, in their 
experiments already referred to, that young rats fed only upon 
rice were backward in growth. 

The vegetarian negro tribes also remain lean. Stout 
people are almost never seen among them, while, on the con- 
trary, the negroes living upon a mixed diet in the United 



14 Health Through Rational Diet. 

States often show a considerable abdominal development. In 
my country, too, there is no lack of persons with overdeveloped 
abdomens, and the majority of those people who, together with 
a sufficient meat diet, eat plenty of pastry and sweets, and like- 
wise drink much beer, may of a certainty count upon such 
an alteration in their appearance. In this connection the duct- 
less glands, those wonderful structures the influence of which 
upon the entire organism I have more fully described in my 
work ''Old Age Deferred," play an important role, inasmuch 
as they regulate the metabolic processes of the organism. 

Upon the outer covering of the body — the skin — the food 
also has an influence. This, in many persons, shows itself in 
the occurrence of rashes and eruptions after the ingestion of 
certain foods, as cheese, strawberries, etc. When the flesh of 
animals which subsist in an unclean medium, as do occasionally 
the oysters, or which eat refuse and decomposing substances, 
as do lobsters and crabs, is eaten, such an eruption is frequently 
observed to appear. Comparable with this is the occurrence 
of eczema after fish that is not fresh has been partaken of. 
Very interesting is the appearance of widespread eruptions 
such as those which occur in Java when one has eaten a kind 
of mango fruit, the mangoguani. In Brazil it is a well- 
known fact that persons, and especially those who have once 
had syphilis, may count with certainty upon having a widely 
diffused eruption of the skin after having eaten of the meat 
of the tapir. This animal feeds upon all manner of refuse, and 
very often there may be found in its stomach pieces of wood, 
lumps of earth, etc. It is very probable that the above symp- 
toms, appearing after one has eaten fruit grown in an unclean 
soil or the meat of animals which ingest injurious substances as 
food, are to be regarded as the result of the poison-eliminating 
function of the skin. 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 15 



2. The Influence of Food upon the Nervous System and upon 
the Attributes of the Mind and Temperament. 

Many wild animals become remarkably tame when de- 
prived of a meat diet. Justus von Liebig noticed in Giessen 
a young bear that was very tame when no meat was given him, 
but became wild and unmanageable when again fed upon meat. 
Tamers of animals, moreover, make use of this fact, simply by 
bringing up young animals, whenever possible, entirely with- 
out flesh food, the animals being thus rendered quite tame, so 
that they are easily trained. 

To a greater or less degree the same may be observed in 
man. It is a fact that nations that live upon a vegetable diet, 
and in particular mainly upon rice, as do the majority of the 
Chinese, the Hindoos, etc., are of a peace-loving nature. As 
an illustration of the converse I would like to cite the interest- 
ing example given by Captain Merker of an African tribe, the 
Masais, a branch of the Semites. As related, in his great work 
on these interesting people, by Captain Merker, whose prema- 
ture removal from his scientific labors by death is greatly to be 
deplored, all the warriors of this brave and warlike tribe live 
exclusively upon meat, blood, and milk, in companies apart 
from the rest of the people. The Spartans ate bloody soups 
and rare meats as a daily food. Liebig 1 states that carnivorous 
animals are more courageous and savage than the herbivorous 
ones, which actually become their prey. 

The nations living principally upon vegetables are less 
prone to engage in warlike enterprises; they like quiet and 
peace, and are especially lacking in initiative and energy. This 
need not surprise us, for it is precisely the albumin, of all food 
substances the greatest promoter of energy, which is very 
sparingly represented in their aliments. It is owing to this 



Justus von Liebig : Lancet, 1869, p. 186, cited according to Pavy. 



16 Health Through Rational Diet. 

fact that a comparatively small number of meat-eating, ener- 
getic Britishers and Dutchmen have mastered millions of rice- 
eating Hindoos and Malays, and that a few Belgians were able 
to subjugate the millions of inhabitants of the enormous Congo 
regions, who, with the exception of the forest-dwellers, live 
upon the starchy flour made from the manioc and other similar 
roots, and upon millet, batates, and bananas — all of them poor 
in albumin, save the millet, the albumin in which is, however, 
rather difficult to make use of. It would be incorrect, of 
course, to ascribe all this solely to the influence of the inferior 
food — the higher intelligence and achievements of civilization 
also play their parts. Nevertheless, the kind of food partaken 
of since childhood makes man, to a great extent, what he is in 
* physique. We shall show, too, that intelligence and all mental 
* attributes <iMgeneral are greatly influenced by food. 

While the nations living principally upon rice and other 
foods equally poor in nitrogen are lacking in energy and ini- 
tiative, they possess another characteristic in which they sur- 
pass other nations, viz., their untiring capacity for work. 
When a meat-eater has a heavy load to carry, he soon becomes 
overheated, perspires, and very soon grows tired. It is quite 
otherwise with the carbohydrate-eating vegetarian, who does 
not suffer in the same way, — a fact which I have myself tested 
by experimenting with various kinds of food. The ability to 
work is maintained through combustion of the carbohydrates, 
and the vegetarians are able, as we shall later explain more 
fully, to continue certain kinds of work, such as marching, 
rowing, etc., much longer than meat-eaters, without being so 
fatigued, even after a very long period of activity. We shall 
also relate almost incredible feats performed by the Congo 
negroes and other vegetarian tribes. One example may, how- 
ever, here be mentioned: As the troops of Tippo Tipp were 
being annihilated, a Congo negro carried the joyful news in a 
letter from Lukungu to Matadi in one day, a distance of ioo 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 17 

kilometers, and another negro carried the letter on from 
Matadi to Leopoldsville, another stretch of ioo kilometers, 
also in one day. When we consider that this was over un- 
trodden roads, not in any way to be compared with ours, and, 
furthermore, remember the tropical temperature, which, while 
it does not particularly affect the Congo natives, must never- 
theless be taken into account, the feats just mentioned must be 
regarded as most remarkable. 

Another advantage of a diet largely vegetarian lies in the 
fact that nervousness is, in general, less prevalent among people 
living upon such food than in those who are meat-eaters. In 
this respect there exists a certain inferiority in the meat-eating 
European, as compared with the Orientals and other vegetarian 
nations, who look down upon the Europeans on this account, 
and have but little consideration for them. 

Foods may influence the nervous system through the in- 
termediary of the blood supplied to it. Deterioration of food 
or the presence of injurious substances therein may generate 
certain toxic products in the blood, thus giving rise to an in- 
flammatory condition, a toxic neuritis. Certain substances 
contained in meat stimulate the nervous system, the extractives, 
for instance. Taken in large quantities, these may exert an 
irritating effect, either directly or by affecting the thyroid 
gland, which has a powerful influence upon the nervous system. 

The quantity of food also plays an important role, as in- 
sufficiency thereof, more especially of the albumin contained 
therein, very greatly affects the quantity and the composition of 
the blood, and consequently also affects the condition of the 
nervous system, which is nourished by the blood. The centers 
of thought can only carry on their functions when well sup- 
plied with blood. When, through a diseased condition of the 
smaller blood-vessels and stenosis of them because of arterio- 
sclerosis or syphilis, the centers are poorly supplied with blood, 
very marked disturbances of the intellect may occur. This 



18 Health Through Rational Diet 



&« 



may also take place, though in a less degree, when the blood is 
impoverished and also diminished in quantity owing to an 
insufficiency of albumin in the food. Very frequently the 
intellectual attainments of undernourished persons are quite 
different from those of the well-fed. Persons suffering from 
hunger may sometimes, it is true, achieve very praiseworthy 
results in intellectual pursuits, but necessity is here the motive 
power, and these same persons would most probably accom- 
plish very much more under a generous diet. Many a neglected 
genius would soon make itself felt if, in the stress of need, a 
helping hand could be held out to it ; instead, it is unfortunately 
left to struggle on in misery. Especially in the case of gifted 
children, who, like all children, require ample nourishment 
during the period of growth, the State should lend assistance 
wher the parents are needy. Such children should be well 
nourished and taken care of. There are plenty of industrious 
pupils, but those with original and ingenious ideas are very 
rare, and these should, in the interest of the development of 
mankind, not be left to starve. 

That the nourishment exerts a great influence upon the 
quality of the intellectual accomplishments cannot be denied if 
we consider the difference between the products of the mind 
evolved under different forms of diet. It is certain that the 
meat-eating or, we may rather say, albumin-consuming, people 
have accomplished much more in the way of original and 
creative work than those leading a vegetarian life. The 
English and Americans, who are great meat-consumers, rank 
among the first in the field of initiative knowledge and inven- 
tion. In order to illustrate the influence of food upon the 
intellectual activity, I should like to place side by side for com- 
parison a young American boy of 14 years who eats meat 
even at breakfast and a pale, bespectacled German lad of 14. 
Although the American might know less of dead languages 
and of abstract science which he would never have any use for 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 19 

during his life, he would certainly surpass the other in intelli- 
gence and common sense. 

Were we to ascribe the superiority of the meat-eaters, or, 
more precisely speaking, of those who absorb a great deal or at 
least a sufficiency of albumin, to the more favorable climatic 
conditions of the temperate zones of Europe, it might be 
answered that China and Japan have, for the most part, the 
same climatic conditions. (According to Oshima, 75 per cent, 
of the Japanese are almost exclusively vegetarian.) Never- 
theless, science in these countries is of a more contemplative 
and philosophic nature. Ingenious ideas, which open out a 
new horizon, and which advance the progress of mankind 
with giant strides, do not grow upon their soil. We see, on 
the contrary, the achievements of European scientists being 
accomplished with a bee-like activity and more and more ex- 
tensively developed. New ideas, as, for instance, in the medical 
sciences, originate principally with the Europeans, and the 
Japanese scholars then carry on with unflagging industry most 
elaborate and difficult experiments. Medicine has been en- 
riched by the Japanese in many of its branches, but in the 
creative field they have as yet accomplished but little. It may 
be assumed, however, that this will soon be the case, inas- 
much as the Japanese are now learning to take a larger amount 
of albuminous food; the diet of the soldiers is especially well 
looked after in this respect. 

In the nutrition of the central nervous system albumin also 
plays a role of the first importance as a distributor of energy. 
With an albuminous diet, — meat, fish, and eggs, — such ele- 
ments as phosphorus and lecithin, which are indispensable for 
the building up and maintenance of the central nervous system, 
are also introduced. With a diet of rice, however, scarcely any- 
thing of these elements is absorbed, as the rice is usually, or at 
least by the majority, eaten without its outer coating ; and it is 
precisely these husks that contain the most phosphorus. 



20 Health Through Rational Diet. 

To the above remarks I would like to add, in order not to 
be misunderstood, that I am not contemplating an unrestrained 
advocacy of an overrich albumin diet. Such a one may, as I 
shall show later, act very injuriously in all respects. My in- 
tention is rather to show that foods containing sufficient 
albumin are essential for intellectual attainments, and especially 
so when, in our schools, great mental efforts are required of 
the scholars during their growing period. I consider it my 
duty to emphasize this fact, in view of the tendency existing at 
present to undervalue the importance of albumin and advise 
against its adequate use. In the interest of the welfare of the 
people this must be combated with all the means at our com- 
mand. As in all the departments of pathology and therapy, 
so also here the principle that both too little and too much of a 
necessary thing are injurious is not given enough considera- 
tion; the rational course is the intermediate one. 

If lime and phosphorus are indispensable for the develop- 
ment of the supporting bony frame, they are so nonetheless 
for the development and maintenance of the central nervous 
system. The importance of phosphorus for the body is shown 
by the fact that probably no other mineral is so stubbornly 
retained by it as this one. That the mental functions are very 
greatly influenced by it is demonstrated by the fact that in the 
conditions in which this substance is eliminated in considerable 
quantities, e.g., in Basedow's disease, acromegaly, osteo- 
malacia, diabetes, and in certain phosphaturias, as in prosta- 
titis, etc., not only does pronounced nervousness occur, but 
frequently also psychic disturbances, while, again, in many 
mental affections an increased elimination of lime and phos- 
phorus may be observed. 

When we now inquire how the increased outgo of phos- 
phorus is occasioned in the above conditions, we must first look 
for the causes of the diseases mentioned. They lie, as is 
known, in alterations in certain ductless glands — the thyroid, 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 21 

the sexual glands, and the hypophysis. It follows therefrom 
that these glands must also have a great influence upon the 
metabolism of phosphorus and of lime compounds. That this 
is actually so is shown by the work of many investigators. It 
was found by Roos that the excretion of phosphoric acid is 
increased when preparations of thyroid gland are taken, and is, 
on the contrary, diminished when the thyroid gland has been 
removed. Scholz, also, found that an elimination of phosphoric 
acid amounting to more than ten times the normal quantity 
occurs through the intestine when thyroid gland is given to 
patients with Basedow's disease. The conditions existing in 
osteomalacia teach us that similar conditions exist in connec- 
tion with the sexual glands, — a fact to be referred to again 
later on. 

It is therefore of great importance that there should be a 
sufficient quantity of lime and phosphorus in the food; when 
there is not, alterations in the nervous system occur. Thus, 
Grijns, Eickmann, Axel Hoist, Nocht, and Schaumann have 
found that w r hen there is a deficiency of phosphorus, in man as 
well as in animals, a degeneration of the peripheral nerves 
(polyneuritis) occurs, and that animals succumb under this 
condition (beriberi is also caused by a lack of phosphorus in 
the food), while they continue to live when phosphorus is given 
to them in their food. According to Hulshof Pol, beriberi 
can be cured, and likewise prevented, by the administration of 
a kind of bean, the kadjang-idoe (Phase olus radiatus). 
Scurvy and Barlow's disease must also stand in relation to 
such conditions. When we wish to supply sufficient phos- 
phorus to our bodies, we must use for this purpose organic 
phosphorus, and this is best in the form of an animal food rich 
in nucleins. At the same time we can by a nuclein-rich meat 
and fish diet cause a stimulating action upon the organ which 
regulates the use of the phosphorus in our bodies, which we 
shall refer to again later on. 



22 Health Through Rational Diet. 



Besides the intelligence, many other important functions, 
as sleep, for instance, are influenced by the food. After a 
heavy meal of meat, a feeling of drowsiness comes on; the 
sleep, however, is of short duration, and is easily disturbed. 
While during sleep most of our functions are quiet and but 
slightly active, the digestive organs nevertheless continue their 
work, and when aliments difficult of digestion have been taken 
at the evening meal the sleep is troubled ; the same is the case 
when there is overacidity of the gastric juice. The formation 
of gas is also very disturbing when food rich in cellulose, 
tending to produce flatulence, has been eaten. 

The function of sexual potency may also be dependent 
upon food. An ample flow of blood to the sexual organs and 
the regulation of this blood-flow through the influence of the 
nerves play an important role in the maintenance of the state 
of potency. With poor food the sexual impulse, or libido, is 
but little stimulated, and the fulfillment of the act is incomplete ; 
with overfeeding, especially with meat and certain other foods, 
the sexual desire may be stimulated, though the accomplish- 
ment of coitus may be correspondingly less satisfactory, owing 
to certain nervous influences. 

The influence of food upon the temperament is of great 
importance. We have already referred to the fact that nations 
leading a vegetarian life are of a peaceful nature. Nervous- 
ness and excitability occur much more rarely than with the 
Europeans, and the individuals are also much better able to 
control themselves, and do not at once betray in their appear- 
ance every emotion or passion. The meat-eating European 
does not appear to good advantage beside them in this respect ; 
he is very nervous, easily excited, and does not take the trouble 
to control himself ; he shows his bad temper at once. This is, 
however, a serious error in deportment in the eyes of the 
Orientals — and with perfect reason. Violence, insolent at- 
tacks, offences against the person through passion, occur much 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 23 

more rarely among peoples almost or entirely vegetarian than 
among those living upon meat. If the main objective point 
of progress among mankind were peacefulness and quiet, and 
the life in common — as in Paradise — of wild and tame animals, 
without mutual annihilation, an exclusively vegetarian diet 
would be the best way to attain this result. A quieting influ- 
ence is exerted upon the mind by such a diet, and violent 
criminals may be subdued by means of it. It is also to be 
noted that if we regard criminality as a variety of disease its 
cure is to be attempted with food of vegetable origin. Such 
food is actually given in many prisons. It may, however, also 
have an injurious effect, for we shall show later that tuber- 
culosis is often developed upon this basis, so that the atone- 
ment for crime in this way often becomes too inhuman. This 
kind of undernourishment, furthermore, is not of a nature to 
exert a healing and improving effect upon the disposition, for 
it has an injurious effect upon the nervous system and the 
mind. The symptoms are very often aggravated in neuras- 
thenia, if too little is eaten or the meals are taken too far apart; 
cramming with food — Weir Mitchell's treatment — may here do 
much good. The late Professor de Smet, of Brussels, gave 
such patients large quantities of Iambic, an acid Belgian beer, 
to drink, in order to stimulate their appetites, and allowed them 
to eat bacon, eggs, and meat every three or four hours, until 
they were well fattened ; the neurasthenics were nearly always 
benefited, and even more so hysterical women, who in fear of 
their nervous dyspepsia did not have the courage to eat, and 
were, in consequence, half-starved. 

That the temperament is very frequently unfavorably in- 
fluenced by undernutrition is certain. A cat which has eaten 
well purrs and is contented. A dog which has not had enough 
growls and is ready to bite. The average man, too, feels satis- 
fied after having enjoyed a good midday meal, and is then in 
a good humor. Quite the contrary, however, when the repast 



24 Health Through Rational Diet. 

has not been to his taste, and he gets up hungry. Then he 
gets surly and grumbles; how true the English proverb is: 
"A hungry man is an angry man!" The same may be ob- 
served with respect to entire nations, and history shows us that 
hunger and need have often driven the people to revolutions, 
as, e.g., in the great French Revolution. Statesmen who 
govern a nation can most easily bring about a contented condi- 
tion among the people if they aim at giving them food of good 
quality at low prices; otherwise, the agitators have an easy 
task, and there is increasing discontent. As in the time of 
Rome, the people, even now, demand "panem et circenses." 

Hunger and the sexual impulse constitute the driving 
power behind the activity of man and animals. How many 
crimes have been instigated by poverty and the resultant 
hunger ! And, yet, these instinctive forces have their good sides, 
like all that is bad upon earth. They incite to work. If the 
farmer did not fear hunger and poverty, he would not till his 
field, and we would be deprived of our daily bread. Without 
need and hunger, much of the progress of mankind, and many 
a discovery and invention, would have remained unaccom- 
plished. Necessity stimulates invention. Blessed be poverty, 
for without poverty there would be no riches! The bad is 
necessary in this world, in order that the good may grow out 
of it. 

3. The Influence of Foodstuffs upon the Teeth, Pharynx, 
and Vocal Apparatus. 

Of all the substances which are injurious to the teeth, 
acid saliva, as a primary factor, plays the most important role. 
This condition may be brought about by certain articles of 
food, such as sugar (Holz), which increase the acidity in the 
cavities of the teeth, injurious results following. A plentiful 
meat diet will also cause acid saliva. In addition to its other 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 25 

prejudicial effects upon the substance of the teeth themselves, 
acid saliva favors the formation of tartar. When the tartar 
extends under the gum, the latter becomes loosened, and a 
pocket is formed which constitutes a welcome nidus for a 
variety of small organisms, suppuration therefore occurring 
around the neck of the tooth. This may cause the tooth to be 
irrevocably lost. It is precisely in persons who have the pret- 
tiest and most regular teeth that we most frequently see this 
most terrible disease of the teeth, pyorrhoea alveolaris. 

According to Hermann, there may exist a predisposition 
to this affection, in the sense that it most frequently occurs in 
diabetics and those suffering from gout. Now, these diseases 
are very often the result of overnutrition, — overfeeding upon 
meat, — so that here also the acid property of the saliva plays a 
role. 

If one wishes to protect the teeth, one must always wash 
out the mouth immediately after eating sugar, honey, acid 
fruits, fruit acids, grapes, or other fruits, and this is best done 
with a fluid containing some alkali, e.g., with some alkaline 
mineral water, or water to which bicarbonate of soda has been 
added. Toothpastes containing alkalies may also act very 
favorably. 

With a meat diet, it should be remembered that particles 
of the meat which remain between the teeth may easily become 
decomposed. A toothpick must then be carefully used; con- 
forming with good manners, this is best done when one is 
alone. Antiseptic mouth-washes, odol, for instance, or, even 
better, hydrogen peroxide, can destroy the bacteria of decom- 
positions. It is important to cleanse the teeth with a some- 
what hard toothbrush after each meal. 

The saliva itself exerts a cleansing effect on the buccal 
cavity and the teeth. Food substances giving rise to much 
saliva, such as hard bread, may also have a useful action upon 
the teeth. When much saliva is secreted, the acid resulting 



26 Health Through Rational Diet. 

from the previous use of sugar, for instance, may be counter- 
acted through the alkaline property of the saliva. Chewing 
forms a splendid gymnastic exercise for the teeth, which are 
correspondingly strengthened by all such foods as require con- 
siderable mastication. Hard, black bread, rye bread, is par- 
ticularly recommended by Roese for keeping the teeth in good 
condition. He also takes into account the mineral salts, such 
as lime, contained therein. I feel impelled to remark, however, 
in this connection that the action of the black rye bread in the 
intestine is not favorable, and that a rather large proportion of 
the nutritive salts, and consequently of the lime, is lost. The 
discovery of Roese, that drinking-water containing lime in- 
creases the alkalinity of the saliva, is worthy of note. 

The amount of lime contained in the food is of the great- 
est importance in keeping the teeth in good condition, — espe- 
cially during the period of growth, — since the teeth are 
principally formed of lime and magnesia. According to 
Roese, as stated above, drinking-water containing lime may 
act well here ; he also mentions the interesting fact that, wher- 
ever such water is consumed, the population has fine teeth — 
yellowish- white teeth are the strongest; where the water is 
soft, on the other hand, one finds universally poor teeth. By 
the free use of lime-containing drinking-water, as well as of 
food substances containing much lime, such as milk, much 
good may be accomplished in the way of retention of the 
teeth. 

The secretion of saliva is greatly stimulated by chewing, 
and this is not only beneficial for the teeth, but for the throat 
as well. In persons who have large tonsils these organs fre- 
quently become inflamed ; the inflammatory condition, in turn, 
has a deleterious effect upon the throat, and consequently a 
chronic inflammation is developed. The secretion of a large 
quantity of saliva may here be of much benefit ; it is helpful in 
these cases to use special chewing tablets, such as are much 



The Influence of Food upon Man, 27 

employed in the United States, where gum is prepared with 
sugar and the various fruit extracts for this purpose, and used 
in very large quantities. I wish that I could create here a 
sentiment which would encourage the Austrian and German 
industries in the manufacture of this "chewing gum" ; this 
would not only have a beneficial influence upon the throat and 
the tonsils, but upon the teeth as well, for which it would, 
with the increased flow of saliva, act as a cleansing agent. 
It would be necessary, however, that only pure ingre- 
dients, and in no case injurious substances, should be used. 
The use of chewing gum probably originated with the old 
Aztecs. I found in the British Museum, in the records of the 
Dominican monk, P. Bernardius Sahagun, who accompanied 
the Spanish conquerors to Mexico, that the prostitutes, in par- 
ticular, continually chewed gum ("chicle"). They also had 
wonderfully beautiful teeth. 

The various substances injurious to the teeth, especially 
acids, may be hurtful to the throat. Alkaline mineral waters 
are very useful, especially those of the nature of Ems water. 

Of the acids, only the very acid fruits act injuriously; 
those less sour may, unless taken in very large quantities, be 
advantageous, since they act as a preventive against inflamma- 
tion of the tonsils. 

Certain fruits, such as the bilberry and the blackberry, are 
good for the throat, and they can be used combined with 
glycerin in the manner of the English "glycerin and black- 
currant lozenges" with much benefit. They are especially 
good for dryness of the throat, and also have a favorable action 
upon the voice. 

A similar effect is produced by all of the mucilaginous 
and fatty food. substances in general, such as glycerin, various 
oils and fats. The action of raw eggs is well known. Coarse 
and irritant foods, of a sandy or corn-like consistency, such as 
nuts, chestnuts, etc., are, on the contrary, injurious. 



28 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Honey, and sugar in various forms, e.g., candy, while 
not exerting a good influence upon the teeth, act favorably 
upon the pharynx and the voice, especially when, as in the 
glycerin lozenges, the sugar is added to glycerin. The muci- 
laginous constituent of many pastilles, as, for instance, those 
made with Iceland moss, acts very favorably. Such muci- 
laginous lozenges, of a gummy consistency, may be made of 
the various algae, and be employed for lubricating the throat 
when it is unduly dry, as well as for keeping the throat and 
voice in good condition. Malt bonbons likewise have a good 
effect by virtue of their expectorant properties. 

Many articles of food, e.g., cheese, act unfavorably upon 
the voice. Many singers do not drink beer for this reason. 

Tobacco, and especially cigarettes, have a most injurious 
effect upon the throat and voice, and yet great singers like 
Caruso smoke. I have frequently seen Dalmores smoking 
cigarettes. 

Alcohol is also injurious to the voice when taken in large 
amount. It may, on the contrary, when greatly sweetened with 
sugar, especially in the form of Swedish punches, — but only 
of the better kinds, not the "Banco," — act quite advantageously 
upon the "timbre" of the voice, and make it clearer. At least, 
I have several times observed this effect. I certainly do not 
wish to imply, however, that the magnificent voices of the 
Swedish students' chorus and their masterly singing — probably 
the best among the students' choruses of the world — bear any 
relationship to their enjoyment of the national punch. 

4. The Influence of Food upon the Digestive Organs. 

When we examine the skull, found in the Neander valley, 
of the primitive man who lived so many thousands of years 
before us, we are at once struck by the colossal size of the jaws. 
It would appear that these were necessary in the prehistoric 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 29 

man in order that he might be able to break up thoroughly 
the indigestible raw foods, not previously prepared by cooking, 
so that they could be of use to his body. The size of the jaws 
was here undoubtedly adapted to the nature of the food ; it was 
a necessity and a consequence of the feeding upon foods which 
required much chewing, with the aid of strong jaws. 

Whether another such adaptation existed in the length of 
the intestine, as we see it in herbivorous animals, remains 
undetermined. The teeth and the skeletons of these primitive 
human beings have withstood the ravages of time, but not so 
the softer portions of the body. That such an adaptation of 
the intestine existed is rendered probable by the fact that the 
length of the gut varies in animals of the same species, taken 
quite young and while growing, when some are fed exclusively 
upon plant food and the others mostly upon meat. This has 
been shown by the experiments of Babak. 1 The degree of 
variation may be quite considerable. 

The same thing may be observed in humankind. In those 
who have, since childhood, been fed upon a diet consisting 
principally of meat, the intestine is shorter than in those who 
have subsisted upon a vegetarian diet. In the Chinese and 
Japanese the intestines are one-third longer than in Europeans. 
The Eskimos, on the other hand, have a very short intestine. 
The meat-eaters among animals have a very short and muscu- 
lar intestine, in order to be able to propel the feces onward 
and to eject them, since they are not of a nature to excite of 
themselves any great movement in the intestine. In the her- 
bivorous animals this condition is not necessary. 

A similar state of adaptation to the physiological processes 
may be observed during the digestion, in particular in the fact 
that the gastric juice is secreted in different ways according to 
the quality of the food. When meat is eaten, for instance, the 

1 Cited from Madinavetia, "Physiologia Pathologica de la Digestion," 
Madrid, 1910. 



30 Health Through Rational Diet. 



stomach secretes hydrochloric acid in considerable amount, in 
order that the connective tissue may be readily dissolved. 
When bread is eaten a large quantity of pepsin is secreted, 
since, as we have learned through the experiments of Pawlow, 
bread requires five times as much pepsin as the albumin of 
milk, for instance. Bread thus makes great demands upon the 
gastric digestion, and black bread, furthermore, imposes the 
same requirements during the process of intestinal digestion. 
Milk, however, makes the least demands of any food substance, 
especially certain kinds of milk in which the caseous matter is 
precipitated in a more finely divided state, or where, as in 
kefir, it has been partially digested through the action of 
bacteria. 

Food substances having a very pleasant taste may stimu- 
late the secretion of the gastric juice merely by their appear- 
ance and sometimes, even, by simply being called to mind. 
When a dog is shown a sausage, a secretion of saliva may often 
be observed; in addition to this, however, large quantities of 
gastric juice are also secreted, but only after about five minutes. 
These secreted juices are ready to receive and to digest the 
food about to be taken. They are actually in waiting for it, 
and when the food is received it still further stimulates by its 
presence the secretion of these juices. When a roll with dry, 
brown crust is taken, the crust must be well masticated, the 
chewing further exciting the secretion of saliva. The saliva 
has for its object to assist the descent of the food through the 
alimentary canal, and after a large amount of saliva has been 
thrown out the food slips down all the more easily. The drier 
and harder the food substance is, the more saliva will be re- 
quired, and nature has provided for this, for the saliva under- 
goes variations in accordance with the nature of the food, 
becoming more or less fluid, or of a viscid quality. The only 
requirement is that man should do his part, and thoroughly 
masticate hard and dry articles of food. The hard, dry crust 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 31 

of a roll is more easily digested than the soft interior portion — 
leaving aside the fact that its starch has been rendered rather 
more digestible during the process of baking — because it is 
much more carefully masticated, and because a great deal of 
saliva is secreted during the process. The saliva is here of 
especial importance, since the ferment it contains, the ptyalin, 
plays a notable role in the digestion of starchy foods, convert- 
ing, as it does, the starch into sugar, which is the only form in 
which starch is taken up and used in the body. All starch must 
be first turned into sugar, for only in this way, in the form of 
glycogen, can it be carried to the liver and there stored up. 

The saliva also has another important function : it acts as 
an antiseptic upon many injurious substances which are taken 
into the mouths with our food. We can best observe in dogs 
that this is really the case. When a dog has a wound, he is 
constantly licking it. In the laboratories where I have been 
working, I have often observed that dogs lick the wounds after 
operations, and, as good comrades, they even perform this 
function the one for the other. Such wounds never become 
infected; severe wounds, such as those caused by the removal 
of the entire thyroid gland, healed without infection in a very 
short time. When dogs are prevented from licking their 
wounds, or when, on account of the situation of the latter, the 
dogs cannot reach them, they very readily become infected. 

The stomach is protected against poisoning to an even 
greater degree by the hydrochloric acid. We very frequently 
ingest, especially while traveling and the temporary guests of 
unscrupulous landlords, a number of quite injurious substances 
in foodstuffs which are not fresh and have deteriorated. This 
can be observed in a marked degree in animals that have no 
careful guardians watching over them, and must take their 
nourishment wherever they can find it. Now, if these decom- 
posed food substances do not hurt the animals, and if we are 
not harmed by game, etc., which already has a decidedly pro- 



32 Health Through Rational Diet. 

nounced odor, it is because of the hydrochloric acid contained 
in the stomach. We can easily convince ourselves of this fact 
by simple experiments. If we place some pieces of meat in a 
4 or 5 per cent, solution of hydrochloric acid, about as it is in 
the stomach, they can remain there for some days at room 
temperature or can even be kept for a week or longer, without 
there being the slightest odor of decomposition. Decayed meat 
loses its odor after having been for a time in such a solution. 

This property" of the gastric juice may be lost in certain 
diseased conditions of the stomach. When, in addition, the 
motility of the stomach is seriously diminished and the food 
substances lie in the stomach for a long time, very injurious 
decomposition takes place. 

A sufficiently acid gastric juice may prove very efficacious 
in protecting us against certain epidemics, e.g., of cholera, by 
counteracting the causal factor of the same. Of course, the 
cholera germs are only then destroyed when the food in which 
they are contained excites the secretion of stomach acids. 
When a little fruit containing these micro-organisms, or a 
glass of infected water, has been taken, either of which will 
excite only a very slight secretion of acid, no active protection 
can be expected : a sufficient quantity of meat would have to be 
taken at the same time. When there is danger of cholera un- 
cooked foods should never be taken upon an empty stomach. 

In addition to the above-mentioned property, the acid of 
the gastric juice also possesses another very important one, 
namely, that of making the digestion of food possible. This 
duty, however, seems to be less important than the first men- 
tioned, for when the stomach fails the digestion can be accom- 
plished by the intestine. But should the stomach acid fail, 
then both animals and man would be in constant danger of 
being poisoned by an unsuitable food substance. For the 
digestion itself, the acid is indispensable, for it alone is capable 
of causing the pepsin in the gastric juice to dissolve the 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 33 

albumin. Pepsin is not given off as such by the main cells of 
the stomach glands, but rather in a preliminary form, as pep- 
sinogen, and it is then converted into pepsin by the hydro- 
chloric acid of the surrounding cells. Gastric digestion can 
only be performed by the combination of the two. The 
hydrochloric acid alone might perhaps exert a softening action 
upon the albumin, e.g., upon fibrin; it can also dissolve the 
connective tissue of the meat-fibers and the cellulose of vege- 
tables, but it is only in association with pepsin that it can dis- 
solve the albuminous substances, such as meat or hard-boiled 
eggs, and convert them into peptone, in which form the 
albumin is taken up in the body. About 25 to 35 per cent, of 
the albuminous substances which are peptonized in the stomach 
may be absorbed by the stomach. All the rest goes into the 
intestine, and there the peptone is very quickly converted into 
the amino-acids by a ferment, erepsin, discovered by Cohnheim, 
which is present in the small intestine in the pyloric region, as 
well as for a short distance lower down. 

With the exception of a portion of the peptones, only a 
very few foodstuffs are absorbed by the stomach. Alcohol 
is one of those which are, and sugar is also taken up in small 
quantities. Water is not absorbed by the stomach, but after 
remaining there for a time passes into the intestine. Very 
often a pint of water may remain in the stomach for half an 
hour. When the stomach is diseased, and the peristaltic action 
is greatly diminished, water may remain in it for a very long 
time, sometimes two to three hours. In such cases one can 
hear, upon percussion of the stomach, a "splashing" of the 
water for quite a long time after it has been taken. Jaworski 
has shown that, as a rule, hot water disappears from the 
stomach much more rapidly than cold water. 

The temperature of liquid nourishment, in general, and 

of water or soup, is not without importance for the stomach, 

and in many persons much harm may be done by either very 

3 



34 Health Through Rational Diet. 

cold or very hot drinks. Boas states that many stomach 
troubles are caused by the habitual use of either very hot or 
very cold drinks. Among Americans, colic occurs very fre- 
quently, and this may perhaps be due to the custom, which I 
have myself observed during frequent visits in the United 
States, of serving water with pieces of ice in it at each meal, 
even during the winter. 

The direct action of the food substances upon the mucous 
membrane of the stomach is also of importance in digestion. 
We have already mentioned above that the sight or even the 
thought or recollection of some very tasty article of food will 
induce a secretion of gastric juice. The digestive process is 
thus set in motion, and when the food is taken it is at once 
brought in contact with the digestive fluids. The food, in its 
turn, acts upon the mucous membrane, and in this way the 
process of digestion is continued. The action of different 
kinds of food varies. Among the most stimulating are meat 
extracts, and for this reason it is indicated to give a good meat 
soup to persons suffering from loss of appetite, and to those 
in whom the psychic secretion of gastric juice is diminished 
owing to a depressed, melancholic condition. Caviar acts in 
much the same way. 

Alcohol has a considerable stimulating effect upon the 
secretion of the gastric juice; a diluted alcohol, however, is 
most efficacious. It is to be remembered that the gastric juice 
thus secreted contains but little ferment, but, on the other hand, 
an increased amount of hydrochloric acid. Persons suffering 
from overacidity of the stomach would do much better not to 
take any alcohol. Very strong alcohol, like poisons in general, 
stimulates the secretion of the gastric mucus as a sort of pro- 
tective measure; strong spices, aromatic substances, mustard, 
etc., also act in this way. 

In certain countries it is the custom to take some strong 
alcoholic drink just before meals; in France the "aperitif," 



Tlie Influence of Food upon Man. 35 

containing much alcohol, and in Sweden and Denmark 
"aqua vitse" are thus used. According to the statement made 
above, this is not a rational procedure, and represents a sort of 
"box on the ear" for the stomach, which is really only irri- 
tated thereby. Often such a method is merely the final resort 
to renew the digestive functions in those who have, through 
gluttony, lost the power of normal stimulation of the digestive 
process. Meat excites the secretion of the gastric juice, which 
contains much acid ; during the digestion peptones are formed, 
and these, again, further assist the digestion in precisely the 
same way as does Liebig's extract. For the digestion of bread 
an excessive secretion of acid would be injurious, since the 
digestion of the starches would be thereby arrested; conse- 
quently, with a bread diet the stomach secretes a great deal of 
pepsin, but very little acid. To be sure, an equal amount of 
the psychic secretion of gastric juice may occur with bread as 
with meat, but, after a short time, the flow of juice excited by 
the bread will gradually cease. Meat from which the ex- 
tractive substances have been removed by boiling causes but a 
slight secretion of juice. 

Water and also milk stimulate the secretion of gastric 
juice, but the flow induced is relatively slight. Through the 
intermediary of the pepsin contained in the stomach the casein 
is precipitated; the fluid portion of the milk passes into the 
intestine, like liquids in general, and the albuminous portion is 
dissolved in from two to three hours. White of tgg excites 
only a very slight secretion of gastric juice, and for this reason 
raw eggs are not easily digested. In many cases hard-boiled 
eggs are better digested. 

Stimulation of the flow of gastric juice by means of water 
may be useful in cases where the psychic secretion does not 
take place owing to a depressed mental condition, as in neu- 
rasthenia. It is also to be observed that one may stimulate a 
failing appetite by the aid of a drink of water, especially of a 



36 Health Through Rational Diet. 

kind containing carbonic acid, as do many mineral waters. 
In many cases alcoholic drinks exert even a better effect. In 
soups, not only the meat extractives contained, but the watery 
contents as well, have a stimulating effect upon the secretion. 
One may thus truly say "L'appetit vient en mangeant" — The 
appetite comes as we eat. 

Since starchy foods take up but very little acid in the 
stomach, their digestion being thereby interfered with, it would 
be rational to forbid such a diet (with much, bread, etc.) in 
the case of persons suffering from overacidity of the stomach. 
On the other hand, the meat in the diet must be restricted when 
the stomach does not secrete any acid, as is the case in many 
instances of chronic catarrh of the stomach. A meat diet, as 
already stated, requires principally hydrochloric acid; when 
this is lacking, a diet consisting of chiefly macaroni, rice, sago, 
or tapioca should be advised. These substances, even in 
healthy persons, simply pass through the stomach, and are 
then digested, first by the pancreas and afterward the intestine, 
and finally converted into sugar. We, therefore, advise this 
variety of diet in these cases in order to spare the stomach and 
leave the work to the intestine. 

The hydrochloric acid also greatly influences the length 
of time that the food remains in the stomach, since it has an 
especial action upon gastric peristalsis. 

The transit of the foodstuffs from the stomach into the 
intestine is accomplished through the movements of the muscles 
of the stomach, which, in a way, shake and stir up the gastric 
contents. When the food partaken of during a meal passes 
into the cavity of the stomach, the fundus, it forms an agglom- 
erate mass. Its digestion can only take place as the juices 
secreted by the glands of the stomach, viz., the hydrochloric 
acid and the pepsin, act upon it. The muscular movements of 
the stomach bring about the contact of the digestive juices with 
the food. When this has lasted for a certain time, and the 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 37 

food is sufficiently prepared, it is pushed toward the outlet, 
in the direction of the pylorus. In the pyloric antrum the 
movements become much more energetic; the food is here 
thoroughly kneaded and compressed, and converted into a 
finely divided, pulpy mass. In some animals which feed upon 
hard grains, e.g., turkeys, the musculature of the stomach is 
capable of exerting pressure sufficient to crack nuts. In the 
feeding process of mankind, at least at the present time, such 
very violent action is no longer necessary, but sometimes con- 
siderable work is still required of the stomach in order to com- 
press large indigestible masses, which, as a rule, cannot pass 
into the pylorus if they are at all larger than a plum, for in- 
stance. If too large they are pushed back, and it sometimes 
happens that several attempts have to be made before some 
such indigestible mass can succeed in passing; in the mean time 
the fluid portions of the food have already been discharged. 
We may imagine what an effort is required of the stomach 
muscle in consequence of the carelessness of hasty eaters and 
gormandizers ! The importance of thoroughly masticating the 
food thus becomes evident, for which, of course, a good chew- 
ing apparatus is a necessity. 

The work of the gastric musculature, as above described, 
is greatly assisted by the hydrochloric acid contained in the 
stomach. The acid excites the contractions of the muscles, 
and regulates the opening of the pylorus: when there is a 
sufficient amount of acid the muscles bring about a contraction 
of the region of the pylorus, the opening of which is therefore 
closed. The food can then be sufficiently digested, whereas, 
if the pylorus should remain open, it might happen that the 
undigested food would pass through. The more the acid pene- 
trates into the intestine, the longer the pylorus remains closed. 
It is necessary that the acid contents passing into the intestine 
be first neutralized by the alkaline fluids of the latter, for other- 
wise the very important function of intestinal digestion, which 



38 Health Through Rational Diet. 



only takes place in an alkaline reaction, would be interfered 
with. When the acid has been sufficiently neutralized 3 the 
pylorus opens and allows another portion of the stomach con- 
tents to pass through. Thus, as we see, this work is accom- 
plished gradually, which has the advantage that the various 
digestive fluids may act for a long time. When there is a large 
amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, it may happen 
that the contractions of the muscles become cramp-like. In 
such cases a fatty diet may prove beneficial. The fat, indeed, 
acts in a manner opposite to the hydrochloric acid: it stops 
the peptic digestion and the secretion of gastric juice, and 
exerts an inhibiting influence upon the musculature of the 
pyloric region. In overacidity of the stomach it is desirable to 
prescribe fats, and these best in the form of unskimmed milk 
or cream, as recommended by H. Strauss. When the fat is 
given in association with albumin, as, for instance, in fat pork 
or goose-meat, the fat exerts a restraining influence upon the 
musculature, while the albumin, through stimulation, causes 
closure of the pylorus, so that the food remains in the stomach 
for a longer time, as we will show later in a table showing the 
periods required for the digestion of various foods. 

In addition to the above-described functions of the hydro- 
chloric acid another very important one must be added, viz., 
the influence of the acid upon the digestive processes taking 
place in the intestine. 

When the hydrochloric acid passes into the intestine with 
the food from the stomach, it comes into contact with the 
epithelium of the glands situated in the mucous membrane of 
the intestine. Here it acts upon a substance called prosecretin, 
discovered by Bayliss and Starling, and transforms it into 
secretin. This, again, either through the agency of the cir- 
culation by which it is carried to the pancreas or through the 
nerves, acts upon this gland, causing the secretion of its juice. 
The latter only acquires its proper activity when the hydro- 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 39 

chloric acid has reacted upon a substance, discovered by Paw- 
low, contained in the intestinal mucous membrane, namely, 
prokinase, and has transformed it into the active ferment, 
kinase. Without this substance the pancreatic juice has no 
influence whatever upon the albumins ; as soon, however, as it 
comes in contact with the latter, digestion takes place very 
rapidly. Ferments, in general, are peculiar in that they have 
the power to cause rapid chemical changes, and that a minimum 
portion of ferment is sufficient to effect such changes in large 
quantities of other substances. Through the activity of the 
kinase the primary representative of a substance contained in 
the pancreatic juice, protrypsin, is transformed into the active 
substance, trypsin, which then carries on the digestion of 
albumins to its end-products, the amino-acids. 

A very active ferment of this variety, which digests the 
peptones formed in the stomach further until they become 
amino-acids, exists in the mucous membrane of the duodenum 
and the upper intestine — it is also found in the mucous mem- 
brane of the pyloric region. It was discovered by Cohnheim, 
and was named by him erepsin. 

In addition to the trypsin, two other important ferments 
are contained in the juice secreted by the pancreas : pancreatin 
or amylopsin, which converts the carbohydrates into maltose, 
and also a small portion into sugar, — and steapsin, which, how- 
ever, is only rendered active by the acids contained in the bile 
and then proceeds to digest the fats. Fats in their usual form 
cannot be incorporated in the fluids of the body ; they must first 
become liquid, when not naturally so. The solid fat, e.g., that 
found in the muscular fibers, must first be fluidified — it must 
melt, and, the lower the melting point is, the more readily the 
fat can be made use of. Fats which already contain fluid oils, 
such as olive oil and other vegetable oils, are easily digested, 
as is also butter, which easily becomes fluid. On the contrary, 
fats such as lamb-fat, which only melts at a temperature ex- 



40 Health Through Rational Diet. 

ceeding 50 C, are digested with difficulty. In fact, all fats 
the melting point of which is above 40 C. are hard to digest. 

Even when the fat has been melted and is fluid, it cannot 
yet be digested, since it is not soluble in water. It must first 
be rendered soluble, and this is accomplished solely by the 
steapsin, a ferment of the pancreas. This ferment splits the 
fat into glycerin and fatty acids. The glycerin is soluble, and 
the fatty acid is converted into soapy substances by the salts 
contained in the bile, together with the alkaline compounds of 
the intestine — among which is a certain amount of sodium 
carbonate. These soaps alone are soluble. After the com- 
ponent parts of the fat have been absorbed by the mucous 
membrane of the intestines, it is again built up from these same 
constituents, and becomes the body-fat of man or of animals. 

The co-operation of the bile is absolutely necessary for the 
absorption of the fats. When the former is absent, as, for 
instance, when the orifice of the bile-duct is occluded by gall- 
stones (jaundice thereby also resulting), the greater part of the 
fat remains in the intestine without being absorbed. Such 
patients must not be allowed to take any fats. According to 
the experiments of Brugsch, 1 40 per cent, of the fat is found 
in the feces when the flow of bile is obstructed. When, in addi- 
tion, the action of the pancreas is also interfered with by a 
pathological condition, which usually occurs after long-con- 
tinued gall-stone disease, the loss of fat may amount to 60 
per cent. In one case, cited by Umber in his textbook, 2 in 
which there was no outflow of bile or pancreatic juice what- 
soever, only a minimal quantity — 10 per cent. — of the fat was 
absorbed. 

Having explained the action of the three ferments which 
originate in the pancreatic gland, I would like also to mention 



1 Zeitschrift fur klin. Medizin, 1906. 

2 Umber: "Textbook on Nutrition and the Diseases of Metabolism," 
1909, p. 38. 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 41 

that the various forms of nourishment act in different ways 
upon the secretion of the pancreatic fluids. Water, for in- 
stance, has an influence, even though rather a slight one, upon 
the secretion of the pancreatic fluid. 

As Pawlow has shown, the pancreatic fluid contains a 
large amount of those ferments which are most required by 
and correspond with the food which has been taken. When, 
for instance, an animal lives exclusively upon meat and fat, the 
pancreatic ferment which converts the carbohydrates — amy- 
lopsin — will be lacking, and I question whether a similar con- 
dition does not exist in diabetics, who frequently live, in an 
irrational manner, upon meat and fats alone, to the exclusion 
of the carbohydrates. 

The secretion of the bile is also greatly affected by the 
nature of the food. A meat diet causes a considerable flow of 
bile, as do also fats; consequently, fat in large quantity, olive 
oil for instance, is given in disease of the gall-bladder with 
impacted gall-stones and in attacks of colic. 

The presence of the bile in the intestine is of the greatest 
importance for the digestion, since it not only activates the 
fat-splitting ferment, but causes the two other ferments of the 
pancreatic gland to act more quickly and powerfully. The bile 
also exerts an influence upon the propulsion of the contents of 
the intestine, and its absence is generally followed by con- 
stipation. The intestine, of course, also has a movement proper 
to itself. By wave-like contractions, such as we see in earth- 
worms, it pushes the contents downward toward the external 
orifice. In this manner, the ferments of the fluids secreted by 
the intestinal glands are enabled to exert their full activity, 
especially the maltase, which completes the conversion of the 
starches into sugar. The saliva and the secretion of the pan- 
creatic gland do not have as pronounced an effect upon the 
carbohydrates as the intestinal fluids: they only convert a 
small portion thereof into sugar, while the rest forms dextrin 



42 Health Through Rational Diet. 



and maltose ; the maltase thereupon acts on the latter and trans- 
forms them into grape-sugar (dextrose). It is this substance 
alone which is capable of being taken up into the system to be 
stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. The starches and 
their colloid intermediate products cannot be thus taken up. 
Cane-sugar must also first be split into dextrose and levulose. 
This is accomplished by invertin, a ferment present in the in- 
testine. In animals, or in persons living upon milk, another 
ferment is found in the intestinal juice, viz., lactase, which 
converts the milk-sugar into galactose and dextrose (grape- 
sugar). 

In addition to these ferments, which act upon the carbo- 
hydrates, the intestinal juices contain another ferment, already 
mentioned, erepsin, which acts upon the albumin. In order to 
bring the ferments present into intimate contact with the con- 
tents of the intestine, the latter performs a series of pendulum- 
like movements. 

Various kinds of food exert special influences upon the 
movements of the intestine. Fatty foods, for instance, arrest 
the gastric and intestinal movements. Very large quantities 
of fat, however, have a rather irritating effect, like castor oil. 
A diet of lean meat only slightly excites the movements of the 
intestines, so that the contents move forward less rapidly, and 
during this time can be well absorbed. When the contents, on 
the other hand, include a large amount of residue, as in a 
vegetable diet, too great an irritating action is exerted upon 
the intestinal mucous membrane, and the intestine is too 
rapidly freed of its contents. When this is the case the food, 
naturally, cannot be well assimilated, and the principal function 
of the intestine, that of absorbing the food substances and 
rendering them available for the benefit of the system, is not 
carried out. 

The question of the assimilation of food in the intestine 
is a very important one, and will be taken up later. I shall 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 43 

simply mention here that when the food has not been suffi- 
ciently cooked, is insufficiently masticated, and insufficiently 
digested by the gastric juice the intestine must alone perform 
what has been left unaccomplished. It may then readily hap- 
pen that a portion of the food which should be absorbed is lost. 

The development of local diseases is also greatly favored 
when the intestine is continually required to perform such 
excessive work. Then, too, the food itself is not always in 
perfect condition when taken {e.g., unripe fruit). 

When we speak of an easily digested food we must differ- 
entiate between digestibility in the stomach and digestibility in 
the intestine. Calves' brains, for instance, are readily digested 
in the stomach, whereas in the intestine 43 per cent, thereof, 
which cannot be digested, is lost, as has been shown by Rubner. 
On the other hand, a hard-boiled egg is less perfectly digested 
by the stomach than by the intestine ; the latter succeeds much 
better with the hard egg than the stomach. Many food sub- 
stances are digested with difficulty both by the stomach and 
the intestines, e.g., the leguminous vegetables. In these, the 
outer husk, the celluose, covers the nutritious elements, the 
starch and the albumins, contained in the cells, and prevents 
their digestion. It may therefore happen that a considerable 
portion of the albumin as well as of the starchy contents of 
such vegetables is lost. In other vegetables again, quite a large 
part of the pn>teid and starchy contents, as well as of the 
nutritive salts, may be lost owing to imperfect digestion of the 
cellulose, and also because, as we have already mentioned, they 
give rise, by virtue of their cellulose content, to increased 
activity of the intestinal movements. It would seem to me 
that the disciples of vegetarianism, in judging of the nutritive 
value of their diet, do not give sufficient consideration to the 
assimilative capacity of the intestine. 

With a vegetable diet, much, if not all, depends upon the 
capacity for digesting cellulose. Animals are much better off 



44 Health Through Rational Diet. 

in this respect than we are, since they have a specially adapted 
ferment, zylase, in their very large cecum. This ferment is 
absent in man, and is replaced by the intestinal bacteria, the 
various fermentative fungi we take in with the air ingested 
while eating and drinking, and in the food itself. These organ- 
isms act upon the cellulose in such wise that about 30 per cent, 
of it becomes soluble. Cellulose in general does not furnish 
any considerable amount of nourishment to us ; yet, a portion 
of it may be assimilated. Through the action of the bacteria, 
not only are the useful nutritious substances inclosed in the 
cellulose set free, but also small amounts of fatty acids are 
formed by cleavage of the cellulose, such as acetic acid, butyric 
acid, etc., which also represent a certain nutritive value. 
Together with these, gases are formed. While an excessive 
quantity of gas is of no advantage, yet it exercises a stimulating 
effect upon the intestinal movements and favors the evacuation 
of the contents. 

The bacteria of the intestine, however, also exert their 
decomposing action upon the albumin, and, in fact, upon any 
constituents of the food which have escaped digestion by the 
gastric and intestinal juices. When a person has ingested a 
large quantity of meat, it may happen that a portion of it will 
reach the large intestine still undigested, and here the bacterial 
action will very decidedly come into play. The body, however, 
cannot derive any nutritive benefit from the action of the 
decomposing bacteria upon the albumin in the large intestine, 
for, even though the resulting products may be absorbed, they 
are not assimilated in the same manner as other albuminoid 
nutrients, but, on the contrary, may exert an injurious and even 
poisonous action. Indeed, the general symptoms occurring 
after long-continued constipation, such as headache, nausea, 
mental depression, loss of appetite, etc., may be referred to the 
absorption of such poisonous products. The decomposition of 
albumins is greatest when the food remains a long time in the 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 45 

intestine, as is the case in constipation. It may be diminished 
by laxative mineral waters, since these shorten the time during 
which the food substances remain. The lactic acid bacilli act 
in the same way ; they ferment the sugar contained in the foods 
and carbohydrates, form lactic acid, and disinfect and destroy 
the bacteria of decomposition. Any food rich in milk or sour- 
milk products, such as jogurt, kefir, etc., will restrict the 
processes of decomposition in the large intestine. According 
to Winternitz, decomposition may be entirely or almost entirely 
prevented by a milk diet. 

During their progress through the intestine, all the fluids 
and other portions of the food which are capable of being ab- 
sorbed are taken up, and, the farther the mass progresses down- 
ward, the more its liquid constituents are given off, until only 
the dry feces remain. The longer the feces remain in the intes- 
tine, the harder they become. When the diet consists princi- 
pally of meat, the feces tend to be dry, but with more carbohy- 
drates, especially in the form of sweets, they are more liquid. 
The carbohydrates cause fermentative changes which exert a 
stimulating effect upon the intestine, and cause the evacuation 
of the feces before they have had time to lose their fluidity. 
The result of this is, however, that the food substances are 
incompletely absorbed. While such starchy masses may induce 
diarrhea because of the fermentative processes, the dry condi- 
tion of the stools produced by a meat diet may, on the other 
hand, cause constipation. 

When there is too great a quantity of starch, a portion is 
usually found undigested in the stools. A diet containing a 
moderate quantity of starchy flour is best assimilated in the 
intestine, especially in the form of sugar, so that no trace of it 
is found in the feces. 

The feces, in addition to the residue of the food, consist 
largely of the secretions of the intestines and of bacteria. 
Portions of the food may also be found, such as pieces of meat 



46 Health Through Rational Diet. 

which have not been sufficiently masticated, elastic fibers, 
gristle, tissues, cells, and likewise the undigested husks of the 
cereals, which still contain albumin or starch granules, which, 
owing to insufficient cooking or faulty digestion, have remained 
intact. Certain food substances sometimes pass through the 
intestinal canal completely undigested. Only recently I found 
in the stools of a little girl of 6 years peas which had been eaten 
five days before, and had remained in their original form, 
entirely undigested, after an attack of colic and diarrhea. 
They had been swallowed unmasticated. Children should 
therefore never be given such indigestible foods unless the 
latter have been previously mashed up, as they have not yet 
acquired the habit of proper mastication. Children, and often 
hysterical or mentally affected adults, often swallow much more 
indigestible substances, and occasionally pointed objects, such 
as needles, without causing any injury to the intestines. 
Madinaveitia 1 lately found in the stools of a woman a needle 
which had been swallowed some little time before, and had not 
given rise to any trouble. That such things are possible has, 
moreover, been shown by the experiments of Exner. He 
caused dogs to swallow needles and other pointed objects, all 
of which were afterward found in the stools. Exner showed 
that the presence of such objects caused a change in the shape 
of the intestine, which expanded to form a cavity in front of 
them, thus, one might almost say, running away from them. 
It would seem, consequently, that the throat and upper portion 
of the alimentary canal are more often injured than the intes- 
tines themselves after the swallowing of such foreign bodies. 

As soon as the feces in their progress toward the external 
orifice have reached the colon, they exert pressure and irrita- 
tion thereon, causing contraction of the gut and expulsion. 
This is a usual occurrence in persons who are normal, but there 
are many, especially young girls, who do not at once respond 

1 Madinaveitia : Loc. cit. 



The Influence of Food upon Man 47 

to this call of nature, thus causing the feces to remain a long 
time in the colon. The continuation of such a practice may 
induce such an habituation on the part of the bowel to its con- 
tents that their stimulating influence is lost. Obstinate con- 
stipation then results. This is most frequently found in 
women, as a consequence of this pernicious habit, and they are 
then obliged to resort to daily injections. I very frequently 
meet with such cases in my practice, especially among my 
French and American patients. Without their "enemas" these 
ladies never have a passage, unless they have been cured by a 
special treatment. It is therefore advisable that the call to 
void the stools be instantly followed whenever possible. When 
the intestine has lost the habit of responding to slight stimuli 
it becomes necessary to resort to very strong ones, in order to 
whip it up, as it were ; this is generally accomplished by resort- 
ing to injurious evacuants, which must then 'be constantly used. 

Before closing this very important chapter, I would call 
attention to the decided influence of the condition of the mind 
upon the digestion. 

In the process of digestion the mental state is of great 
importance. As with all the functions of the body, it is neces- 
sary to enter into it heartily, i.e., help it along; otherwise, it 
will be interfered with. This is especially well shown by 
Pawlow's experiments on dogs. A lively, hungry dog, which 
gives its entire attention to its meal, entering into it body and 
soul, secretes large quantities of gastric juice, while a dog the 
attention of which is diverted, and which plays about while 
eating, will produce but little of it. The same thing occurs in 
man; children should, therefore, be strictly forbidden to play 
while eating — in fact, they should not be at all disturbed 
during this time. For, as has been shown by Pawlow's experi- 
ments on animals, it is not only upon the gastric digestion that 
such disturbances act unfavorably, but also upon the digestion 
which takes place in the intestines, and the propulsion of the 



48 Health Through Rational Diet. 

food therein. In man one may observe the same effect, 
and the satisfying of such an imperative demand as that of 
hunger should be accorded the full attention, if injurious 
results are to be avoided. 

5. The Influence of Food upon Other Important Organs. 

After the food has been prepared and taken up by the 
blood, as described in the preceding chapter, it is carried to 
the liver by the portal vein. Here the most injurious and 
poisonous substances are destroyed by the liver, or are trans- 
formed into innocuous compounds. Poisons which have not 
been broken up by the action of the hydrochloric acid can be 
destroyed by the liver, and it is for this reason that poisonous 
substances which would cause certain death if absorbed through 
the skin lose their effect when taken into the stomach. Thus, 
for instance, the venom of many snakes which causes instant 
death through a slight wound of the skin is, when swallowed 
by the mouth, quite harmless. The liver is one of our most 
powerful detoxicating organs, and, in order to enable it to 
carry out this function successfully, the quality of the food 
taken is of importance; when the nourishment is insufficient, 
or when there is not a sufficient quantity of albumin, the liver, 
as the experiments of Roger and Gamier have shown, is unable 
to do its work. The poisons combine with the albuminoid 
bodies of the liver, and, consequently, animals which have been 
given large quantities of albumin are much better protected 
against poisoning by metals, such as quicksilver, by arsenic, 
and by various alkaloids than other animals not so treated. 
When the liver has been kept long at work in antagonizing 
poisons such as alcohol, tobacco, etc., its integrity suffers. 
Inflammatory processes may occur in this very important 
organ, causing the loss of its protective tissues. The poisonous 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 49 

end-products of the metabolism of albumins are themselves 
rendered non-toxic by the liver, and the ammoniacal com- 
pounds are excreted in the harmless form of urea. This am- 
monia-detoxicating function of the liver is of the greatest 
importance for us. In severe diseases of the liver it is naturally 
much impaired, and it then becomes advisable to refrain, in so 
far as possible, from a diet containing albumin. 

In addition to the formation of urea, the liver also plays a 
major role in the metabolism of the carbohydrates. As we 
have seen, the carbohydrates, such as starch, are first trans- 
formed into grape-sugar. This is then carried into the liver 
by the portal vein, and the sugar is there stored up as glycogen. 
Thus, the liver forms a sort of preliminary storehouse for the 
sugar needed by the organism. The glycogen is given out as 
it is required, is transformed into sugar by a ferment contained 
in the liver, and is, as such, excreted and carried into the tissues. 
Here it is again stored up in the muscles, so that both the liver 
and the muscles accumulate the sugar in the form of glycogen. 
When the muscles are required to perform any sort of work, 
they give up the glycogen for this purpose. Muscular work is 
thus carried out through the agency of the carbohydrates. 
After prolonged and fatiguing labor, the liver contains only a 
small amount of glycogen, as it gives off its reserve of that 
substance much more freely than the muscles. In hunger the 
same thing occurs. It should be mentioned that the liver forms 
the glycogen not only from the carbohydrates, but also from 
the albumins; some forms of albumin, e.g., egg-albumin, em- 
body molecules of carbohydrate. The liver is also a laboratory 
or preparatory room for the fat which is carried to it with the 
food by the portal vein. When sugar is not burned up and is 
not voided with the urine, so that it is still available for subse- 
quent use, it is converted into fat, and this process is likewise 
carried out by the liver. 



50 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Another substance of great importance in digestion is 
formed in the liver, viz., the bile, the functions of which we 
have already described. 

From the liver the substances which are to serve as food 
for the body pass with the blood through the lower vena cava 
to the heart. This important organ is also influenced by the 
quality and quantity of the food. When, for instance, large 
quantities of fluids are taken, it is placed under greater stress. 
When such excessive amounts of fluid are carried to the heart 
during a long period, they may cause structural changes, such 
as induration of the musculature, and later on a dilatation of 
its cavity, such as we see in the so-called "Munich beer heart." 
A diet too rich in albumins and containing a considerable 
amount of extractives, as well as a continued rich diet in 
general, may also affect the integrity of the heart. For the 
action of the heart muscles as well as for the muscles in general, 
a carbohydrate diet is the best. Alcohol and coffee or tea in 
large quantities and after long-continued use may also exert a 
very injurious influence upon the heart. 

Such errors in diet are very harmful to the blood-vessels. 
The pressure in them is augmented, and when a high blood- 
pressure is maintained for a long time the production of arterio- 
sclerosis is greatly favored. The decomposition products 
resulting from a diet rich in albumins, along with the extract- 
ives simultaneously contained in the blood, cause very serious 
results after their action on the vessels has persisted for some 
time. According to Huchard, Senator, and others, arterio- 
sclerosis is very readily produced in this way, and many cases 
are certainly due to an injudicious one-sided diet. 

Overindulgence in coffee and tea may cause a change in 
the tonus of the blood-vessels, and the constant dilatation will 
cause untoward effects, as described by Romberg. Tobacco, 
in particular, has a most injurious action upon the walls of the 
blood-vessels, and a great many cases of arteriosclerosis are 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 51 

due to its use. Alcohol, too, when continuously and consider- 
ably indulged in, is harmful to the blood-vessels. Large quan- 
tities of fluid, by overloading the vascular system, are most 
hurtful to the organism. 

Food exerts a marked influence upon the constitution of 
the blood itself. Excessive amounts of fluid may cause a 
dilution of the blood owing to the absorption of the water ; this, 
however, is of short duration, as the fluid which has been taken 
up is soon excreted. On the other hand, it is conceivable that, 
when such quantities of fluid are habitually absorbed, more 
permanent dilution of the blood, and a watery condition of the 
tissues, may result. 

With too dry a diet, the blood may become inspissated. 
When a large quantity of hot tea is taken, causing excessive 
perspiration, the same result may be produced; but such a 
thickening of the blood will be of short duration. The fluid 
contained in the tissues is then drawn out, a condition which 
is also observed after severe hemorrhages. 

Dilution of the blood may also occur, as has been shown 
by the very exact experiments of Grawitz, when the diet is 
insufficient and too poor in albumin. 1 

In regard to the effect of diet upon the condition and the 
composition of the blood, we here see manifested, as almost 
universally in the nutrition of man and of animals, the principle 
that the amount of the individual constituents of the blood 
depends in large measure upon the quantity of such substances 
ingested in the food. The blood contains more albumin than 
it does carbohydrates and fat. Many nutritive salts, however, 
are also to be found in it ; the blood of pigs, indeed, is especially 
rich in iron. 

The albumin-content of the blood plays a very important 
role, and when too little of this substance is carried into the 
blood from the food very injurious effects may result. As we 

1 Grawitz : "Pathologie des Blutes," S. 237. 



52 Health Through Rational Diet. 

have seen, the blood-serum becomes too watery, and the red 
corpuscles are also impaired. When animals are fed upon 
meat, the hemoglobin content is increased ;* on the other hand, 
Bischoff and Voit found that by placing carnivorous animals 
upon a bread diet the blood was rendered more watery. 

Leichtenstern, by researches carried out on his own blood, 
showed that a considerable increase of the hemoglobin content 
of the blood took place upon a plentiful diet. 

While an insufficient supply of albumin is prejudicial to 
the composition of the blood, an overgenerous supply, on the 
other hand, may result in the formation of considerable quan- 
tities of injurious constituents, such as uric acid. This is in- 
variably produced in large amounts with a generous meat diet, 
especially one rich in cell nuclei, i.e., consisting of the gland- 
ular organs, liver, sweetbreads, as well as brains, etc. Not 
only meat, but many vegetables as well, and especially the 
leguminous varieties, may have an injurious effect, owing to 
the "purin bases" contained in them, from which the uric acid 
is formed. Tea and coffee have the same effect. We shall 
later refer to this in greater detail, and present a table of the 
content of uric-acid-producing substances in the various articles 
of food. 

The blood also contains a certain quantity of sugar, not 
usually exceeding o.i per cent. When, however, an excessive 
amount of sugar is taken at one time it may happen that the 
sugar will not all be taken up by the liver, and the excess will 
then, since it cannot be so rapidly consumed, be excreted as a 
foreign body by the kidneys. 

In many persons this may occur even after the ingestion 
of articles of food rich in starch, and when this takes place very 
often we have to deal with diabetes mellitus. The combustion 
of sugar, as well as its storing up in the liver, is regulated by 
the pancreas through the agency of a ferment which is probably 

1 Verdeil and Subbotin : Cited by Grawitz. 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 53 

secreted by an epithelial structure of the islets of Langerhans 
present in the pancreatic tissue. When the pancreas is re- 
moved, diabetes is certain to occur. 

The food also exerts a great influence upon the circulation 
of the blood in the vascular system. 

The friction of the blood during its passage through the 
lumen of the blood-vessels is said to be greatly increased by a 
diet rich in albumins {i.e., meat), as shown by the experiments 
of Determann. Alcohol, tea, etc., have the same effect. 

Whether, on the other hand, a diet rich in uric acid will 
impart to the blood a viscid consistency, — collemia, — as claimed 
by Haig, has not yet been proven experimentally. 

The various constituents of the food are carried to the 
organs of the body by the blood, and the products of their 
transformation, such as urea, together with various poisonous 
and injurious substances which have not been destroyed by the 
liver, finally reach the kidneys, and are* here eliminated from 
the blood. Alcohol, strong spices, etc., thus exert their harm- 
ful influence upon the lining epithelia of the urinary canals, a 
certain portion of these cells being naturally lost, as is shown 
by the presence of hyaline casts in the urine. Indeed, we 
should always remember that everything we eat must pass 
through the kidneys, and may there prove injurious. Even in 
the process of excretion of the wastes from our ordinary diet, 
particularly an albuminous diet when it contains many ex- 
tractive substances, the kidneys, after the steady work of many 
years, may suffer injury. A meat diet, owing to the nature 
of the end-products formed, imposes heavier work upon the 
kidneys than does a diet of vegetables or one consisting princi- 
pally of milk; — much more urea and uric acid is secreted in 
the former case. When the work of the kidneys is not fully 
performed, the excretion of uric acid is accomplished with 
difficulty, and gout develops easily. 



54 Health Through Rational Diet. 



An overgenerous meat diet may also give rise to diabetes, 
probably through its influence upon the thyroid gland 
(Lorand). The thyroid greatly influences the metabolism of 
sugar, since, as I have shown, sugar is oftenest excreted when 
the thyroid gland is overactive. On the other hand, very large 
quantities of sugar may be taken without any alimentary excre- 
tion of sugar when the thyroid gland is degenerated. 

The excretion of sugar resulting from overactivity of the 
thyroid is not only induced by large quantities of sugar or very 
starchy foods, but also in the absence of carbohydrates when a 
meat diet is taken. When there is an abundance of thyroid 
secretion it causes disintegration of the albumin, and much 
more sugar may be formed than the amount corresponding to 
the carbohydrate molecules of the albumin; we must there- 
fore admit the presence of a toxic irritation of the tissues. 
When the pancreas is active this sugar excretion may only be 
temporary, but when it is incapacitated by disease permanent 
diabetes is developed. As I have proven experimentally, there 
exists a kind of antagonism between the thyroid and the pan- 
creatic gland, so that when the pancreas is removed the thyroid 
becomes overactive; when, however, the thyroid gland is ex- 
tirpated, the pancreas shows an increase of the islets of 
Langerhans, which, as has already been mentioned, probably 
regulate the consumption of sugar in our bodies. As I have 
previously demonstrated, diabetes is caused by one of two 
factors: i. Degeneration of the pancreas. 2. Overactivity 
of the thyroid gland. 

The excessive activity of the thyroid gland may be caused 
by a faulty diet, which can in this way cause diabetes, espe- 
cially when there is an inherited tendency. A meat diet con- 
taining many extractive substances exerts, as has been shown 
by the experiments of Breisacher, Blum, and Chalmers 
Watson, which will be further referred to> later, an irritating 
influence upon the thyroid, and in persons who continue for 



The Influence of Food upon Man. 55 

years to eat too much meat, and besides indulge to excess in 
sweets, diabetes is easily developed. 

The thyroid also greatly influences the metabolism of fats, 
and we may say, in general, that it, in connection with the 
other ductless glands, in fact regulates the metabolic processes 
of the organism; it acts, as von Noorden says, as a kind of 
bellows for the processes of combustion. When the thyroid is 
degenerated and inactive, obesity develops readily, especially 
when fat-forming substances, such as fats or carbohydrates, 
are taken, together with a sufficient quantity of albumins. 
When, on the contrary, the thyroid gland is overactive, emacia- 
tion occurs, and the same condition may be brought about by 
the administration of thyroid extract. 

Alcohol, like a meat diet, also has a stimulating action 
upon the thyroid. Excessive use of alcohol can, in the same 
way as long-continued indulgence in a diet rich in meats, pro- 
duce a change from the previous condition of overactivity to 
one of underactivity and degeneration of this very important 
gland, which exerts an influence upon all the life processes of 
our organisms. (See various chapters in my book on "Old 
Age Deferred.") 

The marked importance of the role played by the thyroid 
in the human nutritive functions is due to the fact that in addi- 
tion to its influence upon metabolism it also acts upon the 
poisons which are taken into the body with the food. Accord- 
ing to Blum, it detoxicates products which are formed through 
the disintegration of albumin; the experiments of Kishi also 
support this view. For its action upon other poisons absorbed 
in part with the food and drink (as alcohol) I would refer the 
reader to my work mentioned above. 

The other ductless glands, including the hypophysis, the 
adrenals, the sexual glands, exert similar detoxicating actions, 
and they, likewise, are variously influenced by different foods. 
Alcohol, for instance, acts upon the adrenals and the sexual 



56 Health Through Rational Diet. 

glands. After feeding upon meat, a change in the hypophysis 
has been observed in birds of prey (Forsyth). The influence 
of food upon the sexual glands and sexual activity will be 
taken up later. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF RATIONAL FEEDING. 

i. The Importance of the Various Foodstuffs, and the 
Quantities zvhkh Should be Used. 

If man and beast are to live and thrive, they must take 
unto themselves the same substances as those of which they are 
composed. Here, as so often in the study of dietetics, we see 
the rule proven, that like consists of like, at least in so far as 
the fundamental constituents are concerned. I might say that 
man is what he eats, or that he eats that which he is. The 
most important basic substances of which man and beast are 
composed are nitrogen, carbohydrates, and fats, and it must be 
our chief concern to take in these, together with the two other 
important constituents, the drinking-water and the nutritive 
salts. The same is true of plants, for they are fully as much 
living creatures as animals and mankind; they live in accord- 
ance with physiological laws very similar to ours, and suffer, 
in a general way, from the same pathological processes. They 
have, however, an advantage in their mode of nourishment in 
the fact that they can acquire the greater part of their food 
without any help from the outside. Mother Nature gives to 
them the nitrogen from the air, which they take up with their 
roots, through the aid of bacteria ; the carbohydrates they also 
obtain from the air with the help of the sun's rays ; the nutri- 
tive salts they draw out from the earth through the assistance 
of the rain. In order, however, that the most useful of these 
plants which contain the greatest amount of nourishing sub- 
stances, and which are best adapted for our food, should rightly 
flourish, we lend a hand, and give them, in accordance with the 
suggestion of the great Justus v. Liebig, nitrogen and nutrient 
salts in the form of fertilizing agents. 

(57) 



58 Health Through Rational Diet. 

These, then, exert a powerful influence : the nitrogen 
greatly furthers the growth of the plants. Indeed, it acts in 
the same way upon man, and when we wish to activate the 
growth of children we must give them food containing plenty 
or, at all events, sufficient nitrogen. 

It appears that nitrogen stands in such relation to growth 
that, as we have already made clear, a plentiful intake thereof 
acts upon those organs which influence the growth, viz., the 
thyroid and the sexual glands. Man keeps on growing until 
these organs are fully developed and ready for work, but then 
growth ceases. 

All of the albumin which we have taken up to this time 
has been useful in promoting our growth. This is also the 
period in which we should not deal too sparingly with the 
albumin, since it is required for the formation of new tissues. 
When, however, the full sexual development has been attained, 
so generous a supply of albumin is no longer needed. Except 
in certain conditions the adult man cannot store up albumin. 
On the other hand, a plentiful intake of albumin greatly stimu- 
lates the metabolic processes, for, according to Rubner, albumin 
particularly enhances the oxidation processes; the expenditure 
of energy is also increased. 

Albumin thus exerts a powerful action upon the fire that 
burns within us; for it is no doubt permissible to compare our 
bodies with a furnace, in which burns an everlasting fire like 
that upon the altar of the goddess Vesta, and when this fire is 
quenched it means death for us, just as it did for the vestal 
virgin who allowed the fire to die out upon the altar of the 
goddess. Without this continuous process of combustion life 
is impossible. And when a machine, as represented by our 
bodies, is constantly fired, it must work. In the coals which 
we lay upon the fire the burning power of the sun is stored 
up which millions of years ago streamed down perennially 
upon the vegetation, and the same is true of the carbohydrate 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 59 

contents of the plants which we consume. The stored-up 
motive power is now transformed into work. The heat en- 
gendered in this furnace by the combustion of the food can be 
measured in units, which we designate as calories. By a calorie 
we mean the amount of heat needed to heat i liter of water 
i° C. According to Rubner, the process of combustion yields 

1 gram of albumin 4.1 calories. 

1 gram of carbohydrate 4.1 calories. 

1 gram of fat 9.3 calories. 

. For his adequate nutrition a man requires, according to 
von Noorden, per kilo of body weight : — 
30 to 34 calories, in repose. 
34 to 40 calories, performing light work. 
40 to 45 calories, performing moderate work. 
45 to 60 calories, performing hard work. 

Now, although, according to Rubner, the various foods 
containing the same number of calories have the same nutritive 
value, yet their action in our economy is such that an albumi- 
nous food cannot be replaced by the same amount of calories of 
carbohydrates. Upon albumin alone a man could live, pro- 
viding he could digest, for a greater length of time, the enor- 
mous quantity of albumin necessary to cover the coloric de- 
mands of the system, but not upon carbohydrates and fats 
without any albumin, even when they are taken in large quan- 
tities. This has been demonstrated by the experiments of 
Munk, Rosenheim, and Laegerroos, who gave their experi- 
mental animals the enormous quantity of 89 to no calories per 
kilo of body weight, and, yet, could not keep them alive. Al- 
bumin is absolutely indispensable for our nourishment, as our 
most important fluids, blood, lymph, digestive fluids etc. con- 
tain large amounts of it. Even in the adult, compounds of this 
sort are lost during every hour and every minute of the life 
process in carrying out the varoius functions, and it is impos- 
sible to replace them in any other way than by the ingestion of 
albumin. This may be supplied in the form of albumin either 



60 Health Through Rational Diet. 

of vegetable or animal origin. The preference, however, 
should, in certain proportions, be accorded to the animal albu- 
min, for reasons which we shall set forth later. It might here 
be mentioned, though, that the animal albumin is much more 
easily digested and assimilated in the form in which it occurs 
in meat, eggs, cheese, and milk than that contained in plants, 
which, owing to the presence of an indigestible woody covering, 
often resists the action of the digestive fluids. Very often the 
stomach and intestines have a difficult task to perform in 
supplying us with the same quantity of albumin from vege- 
table foods. For an adult, too great an amount of albumin is 
certainly not indicated, since it greatly increases the processes of 
metabolism'. The growing individual is able to assimliate the 
albumin, but the adult can only do so in exceptional circum- 
stances, such as starvation, sickness, loss of blood in women 
after pregnancy, etc. Otherwise, he can do nothing with it, 
and must burn it up, thus overloading his metabolism with the 
ensuing residue, and possibly injuring his most important de- 
toxicating and secreting organs. Carbohydrats and fat can be 
stored up by adults, but, as has just been said, albumin, in gen- 
eral cannot. This would indicate the necessity of avoiding too 
great an amount of albuminous food, i.e., more than is required 
in ordinary daily life. That nature has not intended us for 
such food is perhaps shown by the fact that woman's milk is 
comparatively poor in albumin. It contains only 2 per cent, of 
it, together with 6.4 per cent, of sugar and 4 per cent, of fat. 

Only in work requiring a great expenditure of energy is 
a large amount of albumin necessary, a fact we shall dwell 
upon later at greater length. 

Authors differ as to the quantity of albumin which we 
should take daily. It was Voit who taught, as the result of his 
famous metabolism experiments, that 118 grams of albumin 
were necessary in twenty-four hours. However, in 1887 Voit 
published the result of some observations upon the diet of a 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 61 

vegetarian whose twenty-four-hour albumin ration amounted 
to but 52 grams, yet Voit failed to mention that these observa- 
tions did not harmonize with his dictum in reference to the 
necessity of 118 grams of albumin. Then followed independ- 
ently experiments by Hirschfeld, a second contribution by Voit, 
and one each by Kumagawa, Klemperer, and P.eschel, all of 
which tended to show that one might considerably deviate from 
the figures of Voit. Unfortunately, however, these experi- 
ments extended only over a few days of time. The work of 
the aforementioned men was now followed by the experiments 
of Breisacher which were the first to prove conclusively that for 
a greater length of time, thirty- three days, the albumin ration 
could be materially reduced below the Voit figures without 
producing any deleterious effects upon the general nutrition. 
A number of years later Chittenden took up this subject and, 
upon numerous individuals, duplicated the experimental results 
achieved by Breisacher in his thirty-three days' experiment 
made upon himself. Chittenden found, in experimenting with 
a number of students in American universities, that they did 
well and remained perfectly healthy for several months with 45 
grams and were able to achieve good results in athletic sports of 
various sorts. Notwithstanding these facts, I would not advise 
the use of such a minimal quantity of albumin, for these figures 
prove merely that these otherwise healthy young men, stimu- 
lated by enthusiasm, were well and able to work for a certain 
length of time with quite a limited amount of calorie-supplying 
material. They show also to what an extreme point the absence 
of albumin can be carried when necessity demands it, without 
at once causing illness. When, however, I look at the pictures 
of these young men in Chittenden's report, and see that, in the 
majority of instances, their ribs appear to stand out much too 
prominently, I cannot recommend such a method of diet as a 
rational one. From the English and American standpoint of 
beauty, to be sure, any tendency to fat is unesthetic and ugly, 



62 Health Through Rational Diet. 

and many consider it an evidence of unsound health; a 
thoroughbred race horse is thin and is able to run well — it is 
also healthy. But personally I prefer a little lard in animals 
and a little fat in man, for it forms a sort of "savings fund" 
for the body in times of need. What is a man subjected to 
such a "minimum" of food intake to do when he falls ill, and 
has no fat to offer to a devastating fever, while at the same 
time he is not able to take any nourishment? When a State 
has in its coffers only that amount of money which is barely 
sufficient to meet the current expenses, it will soon become 
bankrupt; for our bodies such a long-continued deficit in 
regime also means certain bankruptcy, an eventuality which 
we must try to forestall by all the means at our disposal. The 
figures of Voit and Chittenden may be regarded as the two 
extremes, and, taking into consideration the influence of indi- 
vidual circumstances, the nervous system, the temperament, 
the climate, race, established habits, etc., it would be really 
impossible to specify any definite amount. It would be best to 
accept the figure intermediate between the two extremes — say, 
75 grains — as an average ration of albumin. If Chittenden's 
men held out with so much less, it was because of training. 
Our tissues have a wonderful capacity for adaptation, which 
must be made good use of daily; otherwise, we would soon 
come to grief in the strife for our existence. The fact that 
the digestive fluids, as Pawlow has so beautifully demon- 
strated, are differently secreted according to the kinds of food 
we are taking is an example of this adaptability. I can, with 
training, manage with very little food ; at first I would lose in 
weight, but this would soon cease. That it is possible to train 
one's self to go hungry has been shown by Succi and others, 
who at the same time remained quite well. Chittenden's sub- 
jects also at first lost all that they could bear in weight, but 
then the loss came to a standstill ; when I see their photographs, 
however, I notice that they were by no means "fleshy." As I 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 63 



have stated in my book on "Old Age Deferred," I found, in 
experimenting upon myself, that for two months I felt very 
well and did not lose in weight while taking 70 grams of 
albumin and 2300 calories per day. I drank a great deal of 
milk. When but little albumin is taken in with the food it is 
necessary to ingest all the more carbohydrates and fat. 

Gelatin, a substance closely related to albumin, is never- 
theless not a substitute for the latter. It serves as a "sparer," 
however, as do also the carbohydrates. It is obtained by the 
boiling of connective tissues or of cellulose. 

The carbohydrates play an important part in our food 
as economizers of the albumin, and as such they are of much 
greater importance than the fats. The experiments of Petten- 
kofer and Voit, Fik, and Wislicenus have shown that the 
carbohydrates are the first in importance among the food sub- 
stances for the furtherance of muscular work. We shall have 
more to say upon this subject in the chapter upon the increase 
of muscular force by specially adapted food. Fat, on the other 
hand, is of great importance in the formation of body heat. 
When it is very cold, much more fat is used up, as was shown 
by the labors of Voit and Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria. 
With fatty food more combustion units are also' introduced. 
We shall speak of the fats later. Both the carbohydrates and 
fats must be taken in larger quantities when the supply of 
albumin furnished is small, especially if extra work is to be 
performed and in a cold climate or in winter weather. The 
necessary quantity of albumin, carbohydrates, and fats per day 
for an adult is given by Rubner in the following figures : — 



Body weight. 




Albumin. 
Grams. 


Fat. 
Grams. 


Carbohy- 
drate. 
Grams. 


Calories. 


50 kilograms 

70 

50 

70 


with light work 
<< t< «< 

1 ' heavy ' ' 

(( <« St: 


90 
123 

96 
118 


37 
46 
44 
56 


262 
327 
404 
500 


2102 
2631 
2472 
3094 



64 Health Through Rational Diet. 

As we present in this work the tables of Konig, Rubner, 
Hutchison, Gautier, Balland, etc., setting forth the amounts 
of albumin, carbohydrates, and fats contained in the various 
foods, it will not be difficult to establish the approximate quan- 
tity of necessary food according to the figures of Rubner given 
above. 

2. The Nutritive Salts and Their Great Importance. 

It is a matter of common observance, how eagerly dogs 
will lick up blood. That this is not to be ascribed to the nutri- 
tive value of the albumin-content of the blood is shown by the 
fact that when they are given their choice of meat or blood 
they will at once turn to the blood. There must, then, be a 
difference in taste, and, indeed, blood is distinguished by its 
salty taste. When we accidentally scratch our gums with a 
toothpick, we can easily convince ourselves of this fact. 

Dogs often do> not get enough salt in their food, and, since 
animals cannot talk, they cannot ask for it when their masters 
forget to give it to them. The salt contained in meat is often 
not sufficient for their needs, and other articles of food fre- 
quently contain even less or, like vegetables, — for reasons 
which we shall give later, — have a tendency to increase their 
desire for salt. The iron contained in the blood may also 
instinctively attract the animal, as his usual food is mostly 
very poor in this constituent. 

We can often observe how wild dogs get over bones. 
Here again there can be no question of great nutritive value, 
even when we include the marrow, for they very often prefer 
the bones to the meat. It would doubtless be more accurate 
to consider the other substances contained in the bone, and, of 
these, lime is the most important. Very likely it is also the 
instinctive desire for and need of lime which impels the dog 
to eat bones. 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 65 

Possibly the marked craving of cats for fish is due to 
similar reasons, and is related to the large amount of phos- 
phorus contained in the flesh and bones of many kinds of fish. 
Cats are also very fond of milk, and here it is perhaps the 
phosphate of lime found in considerable quantities in this food 
substance which forms the principal attraction, in addition to 
the other nutritive components. 

Owing to its considerable content of these substances, a 
milk diet is of the greatest importance for young growing 
animals or children, since the bones must be built up, and these 
consist principally of lime and phosphorus. When these ele- 
ments are not present in the food, or are insufficiently rep- 
resented, growth is retarded, as has been shown by a number 
of experiments. The nutritive salts are necessary for both 
man and beast ; we may even say that they are much more so 
than the food substances themselves, for without nourishment 
animals will live longer than when deprived of salts. Although 
the latter are not nourishing in themselves, the food ingested 
by us would be of no use whatever if it did not contain these 
salts, and when the quantity contained is insufficient marked 
disturbances of health occur. The special importance of these 
salts has been shown by the experiments of Forster, whose 
animals all died when placed upon a food from which the 
nutritive salts had been almost entirely removed. His experi- 
ments were confirmed by those performed by Lunin in the 
laboratories of Bunge. With the addition of sodium carbonate 
Lunin's mice lived somewhat longer, but all finally died. For 
man, animals, and plants to thrive, it is necessary that they 
should have a sufficient quantity of the nutritive salts. While 
many of these important salts may be present in quite ample 
amounts, the health will suffer if one of them — the iron, for 
instance — is not sufficiently represented. Liebig's law of the 
minimum amount is not only true in regard to plants, but of 
man as well, and we must see to it that precisely this element, 



66 Health Through Rational Diet. 

iron, which is present in such small quantities, be supplemented 
by that contained in the food. Probably there is no function 
of the body which could be carried on without an ample supply 
of nutritive salts. Without their assistance we could not build 
up our bones and tissues, nor would any cell nuclei be formed ; 
the osmotic tension in the blood and in the tissues would be 
impossible without these salts, and very often the action of 
ferments, too, could not take place. They have a very power- 
ful influence upon all metabolic processes, and without their 
help the unpoisoning of the organism from the products of 
metabolism would not occur. Since the iron is the carrier of 
the oxygen, the oxidative processes in our bodies depend upon 
the presence of the nutritive salts, and Albu and Neuberg class 
these salts as "catalyzers," i.e., place them in the same category, 
as regards their mode of action, as the ferments and enzymes. 
Neither the nerves nor the muscles could carry on their func- 
tions without the presence of certain ions of sodium, calcium, 
and potassium, and without them life itself would be impos- 
sible, as has been proven by the experiments of Forster and 
Lunin. 

Thus, these salts exist in certain quantities in the body; 
the earth-salts preponderate ; others, such as iodine and arsenic, 
are present only in very small amounts, but nevertheless play 
an important role, and, as has been so rightly said, even the 
most minute quantities may cause a sudden acceleration in the 
chemical processes which take place in our bodies. I would 
like here to cite the example given by the secretions of the 
ductless glands, several of which, like the adrenals, are only 
tiny structures weighing a few grams. The secretion of these 
glands, which is also very slight in amount, circulates in all 
the blood and is everywhere active. From all that has been 
said, it is plain how necessary it is that we should ingest these 
important salts, and this we can do by a judicious choice of our 
food substances. Nevertheless, it is not such a simple matter, 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 67 

for, in addition to the taking of the proper foods, it is also 
necessary that these nutritive salts should be absorbed, and, 
what is still more important, be assimilated, i.e., retained. For 
when, as may occur with the lime-salts, the greater part passes 
out through the intestines in the presence of intestinal disturb- 
ances, we have but very little use of the salts, and we must see 
to it that the elimination takes place through the kidneys, 
rather than through the intestines. With some of the nutrient 
salts, e.g., those containing phosphorus, the organic combina- 
tions may appear in the urine, while the inorganic are for the 
most part excreted by the intestine. Even when, however, 
the greater part of these salts is taken up by the blood, their as- 
similation depends upon the condition of those organs which 
regulate the general metabolic processes of the body. These 
organs are the ductless glands, and without their assistance we 
could derive no benefit from the nutritive salts which have 
been taken in with the food. The relations are here inter- 
changeable. On the one hand, the ingested salts, including 
iodine compounds, have a very stimulating effect upon the 
thyroid, and the taking of too much iodine may even give rise 
to Basedow's disease ; on the other hand, the thyroid has such 
an effect with regard to certain nutrient salts, such as lime, 
phosphorus, and common salt (sodium chloride), that its over- 
activity may cause an increased elimination of these salts. 
When one of these ductless glands is inactive, as, for instance, 
the spleen, the iron contained in our bodies, as found by 
Ascher, is not assimilated, but is thrown off in large quantities. 
In my opinion, there can be no doubt that the entire mineral 
metabolism is governed and regulated by the ductless glands. 
These glands also form a sort of depot for certain salts; the 
thyroid, for instance, contains the most iodine, which it gives 
off as required; the spleen seems to act in the same way for 
iron, and the pancreas for silicic acid. The adrenals seem to 
stand in relation with sulphur. In view of the great importance 



68 Health Through Rational Diet. 



of this subject, it is very desirable that further experiments 
be made in this direction, for it is perhaps not too much to say- 
that the entire future of the pathology of metabolism lies in 
this field. Upon such a basis the treatment of many diseases 
which are at present incurable, such as mental affections, could 
be greatly advanced, for reasons which we shall refer to later. 
With this object in view the investigation of phosphorus 
metabolism would be of primary importance. Probably none 
of the nutritive salts are of such special importance as those 
containing phosphorus, for the organ to which we owe our 
superiority to all other living organisms upon this earth, the 
brain, is much more closely related, in its construction and 
activity, to phosphorus and perhaps lime than to any other 
nutritive salt constituent. 

There remains for us to state here the rules according to 
which we can in a rational manner regulate the intake of 
nutriment for our bodies. In general, we must establish this 
intake according to the relative amounts in which the salts are 
present in the various organs of the body. Lime, phosphorus, 
and common salt probably preponderate, — lime and phosphorus 
in the bones, phosphorus and some lime in many of the tissues, 
and salt in the tissues and fluids. Sufficient amounts of these 
substances must accordingly be absorbed, at least i to iy 2 
grams daily, and sometimes even more. Salt is the one which 
is principally taken, — usually much more of it than is neces- 
sary, which then has an injurious action. Other substances 
which occur only in small quantities in the body, such as iron, 
iodine, should only be taken in small amounts. When too 
much of these — iron, for instance — is introduced, a similar 
result occurs ; as when plants are too much fertilized with only 
one salt they do not thrive. Those substances which exist in 
such minimum quantities in the body, like iodine, can, how- 
ever, not possibly be introduced in too great quantities in our 
food. We must, furthermore, be guided by the amount given 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 69 

off and the quantity required. A woman who is pregnant or 
is nursing requires more of certain nutritive salts, and we can 
observe how certain animals try in every possible way to obtain 
them, like the hen for instance, when she requires lime for the 
formation of the eggshell. If it is not given her in her food, 
she will pick it off from the wall. When we wish to know 
how much and which kind of nutritive salt is required for the 
culture of a plant, we examine the ground in which the plant 
grows, as to its salt contents, and then decide upon those 
needed; in man, the feces and urine should be analyzed, with 
a view to determining upon the salts to be introduced in the 
food. To carry on such metabolic examinations in general 
would hardly be practicable, but it is indicated in pathological 
cases, and I probably am not going too far in emphasizing the 
great similarity between the physiology and pathology of plant 
and animal life. It is certain that a growing organism requires 
a much greater amount of phosphorus and lime, and, as is 
the case with plants, the taking of phosphorus, lecithin, will, in 
man, increase the nitrogen supply and the growth. We must 
not conclude, however, that an adult organism does not require 
these salts ; at all events it has been convincingly shown, by the 
experiments of Voit, Roloff, and of Baginsky, that in full- 
grown animals, dogs, pigs, etc., when lime and phosphorus are 
not present in their foods, the bones become thin and porous, 
and are only strengthened again by calcium phosphate. The 
introduction of the same is to be governed by the importance 
of the functions which are to be carried out by certain organs ; 
and when these are greatly increased, the salts which are 
present in large quantities in these organs should likewise be 
introduced in correspondingly large amounts. In fatiguing 
brain and nerve actions, more phosphorus should be given and 
some lime, too, as will be shown later. In fact, a lessening of 
the phosphorus content exists in many pathological conditions 
of the brain (Marie), and by giving phosphorus it has been 



70 Health Through Rational Diet. 

possible, in certain cases in which it was tried, to bring about 
considerable improvement; Kocher and Trachewski showed 
the same results in Basedow's disease, by administering sodium 
phosphate. 

In the treatment of epilepsy, similar results have also 
recently been obtained in the same way. It is, furthermore, of 
great importance to state that — as has been shown by experi- 
ments on animals and by clinical experience — when phosphorus 
is absent in the food polyneuritis and other conditions, such 
as beriberi and Barlow's disease, occur, which are greatly im- 
proved by foods rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus can best 
be administered in organic combination, as demonstrated by 
the experiments of Roehmann and his followers, and also in a 
most convincing manner by those carried out upon children by 
Cronheim and Miiller. 

A certain way of administering plenty of phosphorus is to 
give the nucleins. ( See the works of O. Loewi. ) In this way 
nitrogen and phosphorus are provided. The same result was 
obtained by Buchmann by giving lecithin, which also increases 
the growth of animals (Stocklasa). The lecithins are fat-like 
bodies, which contain much phosphorus; they are found in 
grains, especially wheat, oats, and other cereals. The pollen 
of flowers also contains considerable lecithin, so that there is 
a certain amount of it in honey. Among animal foods, eggs, 
in particular, have a considerable lecithin content. Further- 
more, much of it is found in certain organs, especially in the 
liver; thus, when we eat calves' liver we are taking in a con- 
siderable amount of lecithin. The same is the case when brains 
and milk are used as foods. However, woman's milk is 
superior to cows' milk, as the body is better able to take up and 
make use of its phosphoric content. 

To what extent the phosphorus of lecithin-containing 
foods is assimilated is shown by the fact that 80 per cent, of it 
is found in the urine and 20 per cent, in the stools, which proves 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 71 

a most complete utilization. With a vegetable diet, there is a 
poor showing in regard to the assimilation of phosphorus ; this 
is a great pity, since these foods often contain much of it; it 
passes off, however, together with the lime, through the intes- 
tines. In fact, in those living entirely upon a vegetable diet, 
much more phosphorus is found in the stools than in the urine, 
showing it has been very poorly made use of. It would there- 
fore be very interesting to investigate whether the entire ques- 
tion of the condition of physical inferiority among vegetable- 
eaters, as compared with meat-eaters, which is noticeable even 
among birds, is not in some way related to these facts. Never- 
theless, however much phosphorus we may be taking, even in 
the organic form, which is so much better absorbed and assim- 
ilated, its utilization in our bodies and its incorporation into 
the tissues for the maintenance of their functions depend 
greatly upon the condition of the thyroid and sexual glands, 
as well as the hypophysis. When the thyroid is overactive, 
much phosphorus is eliminated, as has been found by Roos and 
Scholz. On the other hand, as we have already mentioned, the 
elimination is lessened in underactivity of the thyroid. In 
order that phosphorus be properly assimilated, it is very im- 
portant that the thyroid function be normal, i.e., neither over- 
nor under- active. With overactivity of the sexual organs — 
the ovaries, for instance — there is associated an abundant 
elimination of phosphorus and lime ; the same occurs in osteo- 
malacia, in which psychoses also make their appearance. 
When, however, these persons are castrated, the pathological 
elimination ceases. Curatulo and Tarulli found that when 
female dogs were castrated the phosphoric elimination was 
diminished ; after the administration of ovarian extract, it was 
increased again. Castration in women may likewise cure 
osteomalacia, and the excessive output of phosphorus ceases; 
the fact that the administration of phosphorus will also' cure 
this condition is of great practical significance (M. Sternberg, 



72 Health Through Rational Diet. 

His, Sauerbruch). Phosphorus in addition influences the 
assimilation of lime; in osteomalacia it appears to do this in 
a roundabout way through the intermediary of the ovaries. In 
general, the nutritive salts, as we have already stated, act pri- 
marily upon the ductless glands, and the latter then regulate 
their use according to the various requirements of the organ- 
ism. When phosphorus is administered the lime can also be 
better made use of, and we therefore see an improvement in 
this respect in rickets. This disease, which affects so many 
children, seems to be due to the absence of lime-salts in their 
food, as has been shown by the experiments of Roloff and 
Baginsky, as well as those of Aron and Seebauer. Seemann 
found, too, that the milk of the mothers of rachitic children is 
often surprisingly poor in lime ; Gottig, again, proved that with 
food poor in lime the bony structure in the limbs suffers, and 
an increased reabsorption of the bones may occur. The absorp- 
tion of a sufficient quantity of lime may also be interfered with 
by intestinal disturbances. Even when an ample amount of 
lime has been taken in with the food and has been absorbed, 
rickets may, in my opinion, still occur if there is degeneration 
of the ductless gland, the function of which is to utilize the 
lime which has been ingested in accordance with the require- 
ments of the various organs. It is an uncontrovertible fact 
that ossification of the epiphyses of the hollow bones does not 
take place even for some time after the age of puberty, when 
the thyroid or sexual organs (as in eunuchs) are degenerated; 
and it is also well known that in degenerated conditions of the 
thyroid the formation of callus after fractures of the bones 
often does not occur. When, however, thyroid extract is 
administered, callus formation proceeds, i.e., a better reaction 
on the part of the tissues becomes evident. In my opinion it 
must therefore logically follow that, however great be the 
amount of lime in the food, it will not be sufficient for the cure 
of rickets, unless treatment by thyroid extract is instituted at 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 73 

the same time. Good results have thus been obtained in several 
cases ; and if this fact has not been confirmed by others, it is 
because the other factor — a sufficient quantity of lime or phos- 
phorus in the food — was not combined with the thyroid treat- 
ment. Both these factors, the nutritive salts and organo- 
therapy, must be simultaneously brought into play. The fact 
that the thyroid gland influences the growth of bony structures, 
as was first shown by Lanz, undoubtedly affords a solid foun- 
dation for the above statements. 

The amount of lime present also* greatly affects the blood, 
for in the absence of lime coagulation does not take place, since 
its influence is that of an activator of the coagulating ferment. 
The coagulation of milk by rennet is prevented in the absence 
of lime. The influence of the latter upon the functions of the 
brain is also of great importance, since the experiments of 
Sabatani and Quest have shown 1 that an insufficiency of lime 
increases the irritability of the cerebral cortex, while an increase 
of lime lowers it. According to von Noorden, in rachitis, as 
well as in gout, administration of lime is very efficacious. 
Lehmann is of the opinion that lime increases the activity of 
the kidneys. From the above it will be seen how important it 
is to take plenty of lime in the food, which is best accomplished 
by the use of milk and drinking-water containing this sub- 
stance. Although many plants are very rich in lime, it is 
unfortunately a fact that, as has been shown by Bunge, this 
lime is much less readily taken up by the blood than that con- 
tained in meat foods. As stated by Roese, it is a great draw- 
back that, owing to the unskillful cooking of vegetables — it is 
more than unskilled; it is actually criminal — and especially 
through allowing them to* stand for a long time in tepid water, 
a very considerable amount of the nutritive salts is lost ; they 
are simply soaked out. Roese also pointed out the very in- 
jurious effects of drinking water poor in lime; he found that 

1 According to Albu and Neuberg, loc. cit. 



74 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



wherever soft water is used many men are found incapable of 
the military service; the chest measurements, too, are smaller, 
and tuberculosis is very prevalent. If we consider the power- 
ful influence exerted by lime upon the growth of the bony 
skeleton, this will be readily understood. We shall now present 
Bunge's table 1 of the amounts of lime and phosphorus con- 
tained in some of the commonly used foods : — 

In ioo grams are contained 



Cows' milk . . . 
Woman's milk 
Yolk of eggs. . 

Butter 

Spinach 

Figs 

Dates 

Plums 

Peas 

Potatoes 

Beef, only 

Graham bread 
White bread . . 



Lime. 


Phosphorus. 


1.510 


1.86 


0.243 


0.35 


0.380 


1.90 


0.411 


0.80 


1.950 


1.65 


0.400 




0.108 




0.166 




0.137 


0.99 


0.100 


0.69 


0.029 




0.077 


0.36 


0.046 





In ioo grams of each of the following food substances, 
lecithin is contained, according to Konig, in the amounts 
specified : — 



Peas 1.05 

Lentils 1.70 

Soja beans 1.64 

Beans 0.81 

Wheat 0.43 



Barley 0.47 

Rye 0.57 

Corn 0.25 

Buckwheat 0.53 



As we may notice, yolk of Qgg and spinach are very rich 
in phosphorus and lime; they also contain a large amount of 
the salts o<f iron. These are also most important salts, since 
iron forms part of the blood-corpuscles, and has to transport 
the oxygen which has been taken up in the lungs by the blood- 
corpuscles to the tissues. It thus acts as the oxygen carrier. 



1 Bunge : Loc. cit., vol. ii, p. 88. 



The Fundamental Laws of Rationed Feeding. 75 

Furthermore, it plays an important role in the formation of 
hemoglobin, and in this connection Bunge is of the opinion 
that the iron in organic combination is more effective than in 
inorganic compounds. Bunge and Abderhalden have shown 
that animals receiving food poor in iron become very anemic; 
when they are given a diet rich in iron, e.g., cabbage, carrots, 
and various greens, the iron-content in the blood is increased. 
As far as the absorption is concerned, there does not seem to 
be any material difference between the organic and the inor- 
ganic varieties; since, however, the former is absorbed more 
freely, it is a good plan to take in the necessary amount of iron 
with the food. If it is contained in sufficient quantities in the 
food, the inorganic preparations of iron may, when there is 
chlorosis or anemia, very powerfully excite the blood-forming 
organs. In fact it would seem, as I have already stated in my 
work, "Old Age Deferred," that the action of iron is explained 
by the fact that it primarily excites to greater activity the 
ductless glands which govern the blood-forming bone-marrow 
and also the thyroid and sexual glands. When, therefore, we 
wish to prevent or cure anemia, we should, instead of taking 
expensive medicaments and artificial preparations of iron, eat 
foods such as blood-pudding, spinach, eggs, etc. Bunge gives 
the iron content of certain foods as follows : — 

In ioo grams are contained 

Hogs' blood 0.226 Almonds 0.0025 

Spinach 0.033 to 0.039 Lentils 0.0045 

Asparagus 0.02 Strawberries 0.008 to 0.093 

Yolk of eggs 0.001 to 0.024 Peas 0.062 to 0.066 

Beef 0.017 Potatoes 0.064 

Apples 0.013 Bilberries 0.0057 

Red cherries 0.010 Grapes 0.0056 

The observations of Ascher indicate that the condition of 
the spleen is of importance in the assimilation of iron in the 
body. He found that dogs, from which the spleen had been 
removed eliminated more iron than healthy ones. The iron 



76 Health Through Rational Diet. 



set free in the process of metabolism can be stored up in the 
body through the agency of the spleen; otherwise it is elimi- 
nated. 

Again, sodium chloride is an absolutely indispensable 
nutrient salt. Herbivorous animals possess a veritable mania 
for it, and it is advisable in a cow-stable, for instance, to hang 
up a large piece of salt if one is not to see the cows licking all 
manner of objects in search of it. Sheep also thrive and stand 
the bad weather better out in the fields if sufficient salt is 
given them in their food. The diet of these animals contains 
a large amount of potash salts; and Bunge has shown that 
when much potash is ingested in vegetable foods, much soda 
is withdrawn from the blood in consequence; this must then 
be made up again in the food. Thus, in eating potatoes, we 
require a great deal of common salt, since they contain much 
potash and very little soda; with rice, on the other hand, but 
little salt is needed, as rice contains but little potash salt. The 
passage of a large amount of salt is not at all good for the 
kidneys ; they may be injured thereby. When the kidneys are 
diseased, very little salt is eliminated, as has been shown by 
Alexander von Koranyi, who introduced cryoscopy. H. 
Strauss, Vidal, and Achard have stated that the ingestion of 
much sodium chloride is very injurious, and may induce edema 
when the kidneys are already diseased; they found also that 
the edema was much improved when a diet very poor in salt 
was given. 

H. Strauss found that when the kidneys do not quite 
fully carry out their functions sodium chloride is retained, 
whereas the other chlorides pass through. It follows from the 
above that an excess of salt may injure the kidneys, but that 
it has no injurious action when small quantities are taken daily, 
and when the kidneys are healthy. A rice diet would perhaps 
be the best for the kidneys, if the rice were not, as is often the 
case, overseasoned. 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 77 

Besides the important nutritive salts already mentioned 
there are several others, such as those containing iodine and 
arsenic, which, though they occur in minimal quantities only, 
are of much importance in our bodies. Iodine plays a very 
great role because it is required by the principal ductless gland, 
the thyroid, for the carrying out of its functions. Iodine is 
absent from inactive thyroids, as also in the presence of con- 
nective-tissue goiters. The thyroid contains the most iodine, 
but the various other ductless glands, as well as the blood, also 
contain organically combined iodine ; it is present, in particular, 
in the leucocytes. Iodine influences the various metabolic 
processes as a catalyzer. We take it in with our* food. Ac- 
cording to Bourcet, the vegetarian diet contains more iodine; 
certain varieties of fish, such as the herring, also contain it in 
quite considerable amounts. Aron states that the thyroid gland 
contains about i centigram of iodine. Arsenic, too, is con- 
tained in minute quantities in various organs, according to 
Gautier and Bertrand. In eating hens' eggs we absorb a small 
amount of arsenic. Silicic acid is also contained in our organs, 
and particularly in the muscle tendons. Schulz affirms that 
the connective tissue contains this substance in fairly large 
amount. It is an interesting fact that the iodine is contained 
in the thyroid, the iron in the spleen, whereas the silicic acid is 
especially well represented in the pancreas (Kail and Kunkel). 

3. Water. 

Like the plant, man cannot live without water. A plant 
may have at its disposal ever so much of the nutritive salts, 
without which it cannot live, but they are of no use to it unless 
it receives water, be this rainwater or dew, or that provided by 
the helping hand of man ; water is absolutely required to bring 
these salts in solution, so that they may be absorbed by the 
roots. Man, likewise, would not be able to assimilate his food 



78 Health Through Rational Diet. 



without water, since it dissolves the nutritive substances, that 
they may be taken up by his body. The digestive fluids require 
a considerable amount of water, as does also the blood, of 
which it forms the most voluminous constituent. Through the 
aid of the water, the nutritive substances and salts which have 
been dissolved are carried from the blood into the tissues. For 
this a sufficient quantity of water must be at the disposal of the 
blood ; if the blood receives too much of it, on the other hand, 
it will become too dilute. However, all-wise Nature has made 
provision for this eventuality — just as she has taken great 
care in the creation of man in general, much more than has 
been expended upon any machine devised and constructed by 
man himself — through the fact that this diluted condition is 
only a temporary one, soon disappearing. When too much 
water is withdrawn from the blood by copious diarrhea, as in 
cholera, or through excessive perspiration or a diet containing 
too little water, the blood may become thickened; Grawitz, 
however, has shown that this condition is also merely a tem- 
porary one ; the inspissation soon passes off as a large amount 
of fluid is again taken up by the tissues. 

While the absorption, then, of large quantities of water 
cannot cause any lasting effect, it is nevertheless not desirable 
to ingest too much of it, say, more than iy 2 liters per day, 
since the tissues would then become too watery, and the task 
of the blood-vessels and heart be rendered too difficult through 
their being overloaded with so much fluid. In persons in 
whom the heart or the vessels are affected, as in heart disease 
or arteriosclerosis, this may bring about serious results, and 
consequently such persons should never take more fluid, soup 
and milk included, than I to I y 2 liters daily. For these patients 
the best way of taking fluids is in the form of fruit and fresh 
green vegetables; in this way water is absorbed, albeit very 
gradually, so that there is no sudden overloading of the vessels 
and the heart is not taxed with too much work. 



The Fundamental Lazvs of Rational Feeding. 79 

Grawitz, on the contrary, is of the opinion that large 
amounts of fluid do not have a lasting influence, either on the 
composition of the blood or that of the gastric juice. When 
much water is taken with the meals, the acidity of the gastric 
juice may be diminished for a short time, but it is soon restored 
to the normal condition, and, in regard to drinking while 
eating, I am personally of the opinion that it is a hygienic 
practice; a swallow of water, as Pawlow has shown, exerts a 
favorable influence upon the secretion of the "appetite juice," 
or psychic secretion of the gastric fluids, and many persons 
have no appetite for their food if they cannot at the same time 
take water or other fluids. I consider that even a little too 
much water taken with the meals is less injurious than the 
avoidance of it altogether. A great many women have the 
very bad habit of not drinking at all while eating, owing to a 
mistaken idea that this will keep them from growing stout. 
Now, water-drinking never causes the production of fat, as has 
been demonstrated by von Noorden. On the contrary, with 
the help of the water the nutritive substances are much better 
assimilated, while the appetite, as we have just said, is in- 
creased. Another great advantage is that the bowel functions 
may be assisted, and this, precisely, in women, who suffer 
from their wrong and avoidable habit of constipation, is 
greatly to be desired. When the contents of the intestines are 
well supplied with water, the forward movement of the feces 
is greatly facilitated. One of the very great advantages of 
drinking water is the fact that the end-products of the metabolic 
process are washed out, and this is more fully accomplished 
the more water is taken. While we thus consider the drinking 
of water as a very healthy practice, we must, on the other hand, 
not forget to mention that the drinking-water itself may some- 
times be dangerous, even to life, when its origin is not unques- 
tionable. The best drinking-water is furnished by mountain 
springs; it does not contain any germs. It is owing to this 



80 Health Through Rational Diet. 



that Vienna is much less affected than almost any other large 
city in the world by typhoid fever, which is so frequently 
caused by impure water. The water system of Vienna, which 
brings the water from afar, cost millions, but probably millions 
were never spent to better advantage, or have never borne 
better fruit. On the other hand, we very frequently meet 
this disease, which so often destroys young lives, in all cities 
which are supplied with river or fountain water. In addition 
to the purity of the drinking-water, its chemical properties are 
also most important. According to Roese's examinations, the 
health of a population is enormously influenced by the com- 
position of its water supply. Not only does hard drinking- 
water have a most beneficial influence upon the teeth, but in 
cities where such water is drunk the chest measure and height 
of the people is greater, as well as their fitness for military 
service, while where the water is soft the opposite condition 
prevails. Moreover, the hard water has a more refreshing 
taste, which is quite an important advantage. In regions where 
the water does not have an agreeable taste, or is not free from 
impurities, the use of a not too highly mineralized water is 
advisable. The mineral waters containing some carbonic acid 
are more refreshing and also excite the appetite, especially in 
hot weather, when the mouth feels dry. Slightly mineralized 
waters are well fitted for daily use all the year round. This 
applies in a less degree, however, to those containing a con- 
siderable quantity of salts, which are really to be considered 
as medicinal waters, and are best used, for any length of time, 
in chronic diseased conditions. 

4. Hints Concerning Diet in Various Climates and During 
Different Seasons of the Year, and for Different Ages 
and Sexes. 

It is the firm opinion of the writer that man fares best 
when he follows the indications of Nature in everything, since 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 81 

she gives proof in all her doings of a most wonderful perspi- 
cacity. This good management is well shown by the way in 
which, in every climate, she has caused to grow in abundance 
just the proper foods, and those best suited to> the climate. We 
find the most juicy fruits in the hot southern countries, and, as 
a generous meat diet is not well borne in a hot climate, while 
such a diet, together with the heat, abolishes the desire for 
work, she has provided foods very rich in carbohydrates. In 
the tropical regions, in Brazil, Central Africa, Java, etc., such 
an abundance of plants grow which are replete with starch that 
only a portion of the excess would be sufficient to' amply feed 
all the poor and hungry of Europe. I do not mean to say that 
uncivilized and necessarily vegetable-eating people dislike meat ; 
on the contrary, and possibly because of the lack of albumin 
in their food, they have a perfect passion for meat. Conse- 
quently, they eat flesh used nowhere else as food. The South 
Sea Islanders, for instance, when visited by Cook, ate their 
dogs, which were fattened for the purpose, and in New Zealand 
the Maoris even now eat sharks, which are elsewhere con- 
sidered to be unfit to eat. The desire of the Congo negroes for 
meat is also very great. The Commissary-general of the 
Congo State, Major de Meulemeester, told me that during an 
expedition his men, numbering 40, lived for two days and a 
half on the meat of an elephant weighing 5000 kilos or more, 
and they liked this food so much that they even sliced or 
scraped the skin into shavings, which they also ate. They even 
exchanged a large part of their regular rations for this skin, 
which they ate in preference ! They consumed so much of this 
food that their abdomens projected noticeably. It is very 
probable that these people resort to cannibalism only because 
their albumin food is so limited. For both man and beast 
rarely indulge in barbarity when not driven to it by necessity, 
unless when cannibalism is practised for religious motives, as 
by the old Mexicans, the Aztecs, who tore out the hearts of 



82 Health Through Rational Diet. 

their sacrificed captives of war, held them up to the sun, and 
then cooked the flesh of their victims in order to. devour it. 

Meat foods are scarce in these tropical regions, as nature 
does not facilitate their creation. Cattle do not thrive in hot 
and dry climates as they do 1 in the temperate zone and in the 
north. In these regions the most meat is eaten, and such a 
diet is better supported than in the hot south. There the plant 
kingdom offers in abundance the cereals which are rich in 
albumin and carbohydrates, and the greatest variety of grain. 
In the north, the grain which is richest in fat (oats) thrives 
the best. In the various animals and fishes of the north, like 
the' whale, seals, and the mammals living in the cold waters, 
and also in certain kinds of birds, the fat-layers are greatly 
developed; which fact points to the necessity of a plentiful 
intake of fat in the food in these climates, the importance of 
which has been shown in the already-mentioned experiments 
of Voit, and of the Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria. It is more- 
over a well-known fact that the inhabitants of the north in- 
stinctively take very large quantities of fat, as butter, for 
instance. In Sweden, much butter is used with the "Smorgas 
brod" at mealtimes, and I still remember that when traveling 
by rail in Dalekarlia, from Ins jo to Leksand, during my student 
days, an old "Dalbonde" (Dalekarlian farmer) was continually 
taking butter from a large, copper, pan-like vessel, which he 
spread upon slices of bread until more than half of the con- 
tents were gone. He never stopped ! The craving for some- 
thing rich in calories, like whisky, for instance, in the damp, 
cold and wet, foggy climate of England is quite readily com- 
prehended, even though, with the majority, the warming quali- 
ties seem to be the least important. While in the north fat is 
so greatly desired as a food, many cattle-raising tribes in Africa 
can find no other use for it than to smear their skins with it, 
as they also do with their oily seed-fruits. 

On the other hand, the Eskimos take a large amount of 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 83 

fat, blubber, and marrow; they fairly drink it. They like to 
eat the liver of the walrus, together with slices of its lard. 
Wrangel, in his Polar expedition, found that the Jakutes re- 
garded fat of all varieties as a delicacy. 

The above remarks also afford indications for our foods 
in summer and in winter. In the hot summer we must cut 
down the meat supply, but when much work is to be done a 
plentiful quantity of albumin must be taken, whether it be 
summer or winter, in the north or the south. Vegetables and 
fruit should form an important part of our diet in the summer, 
and when the heat diminishes the appetite it is advisable to take 
more spices or flavorings, in order to stimulate it. In winter 
this procedure should be avoided as much as possible, since the 
injurious substances contained in condiments cannot, to the 
same extent as during warm weather, be excreted with the 
perspiration, but must be eliminated by the kidneys. In the 
winter we can safely indulge in more meat and fat-containing 
foods. The acid fruits, on the contrary, are much less needed, 
and dried fruit such as raisins, dates, etc., should be given 
preference. 

As far as the age is concerned, no meat should be given 
to little children, as their immunizing organs, which have the 
function of destroying the injurious disintegration products of 
meat, are not yet developed ; the same is true for old persons, 
in whom these organs, the ductless glands, are already de- 
generated, and their immunizing power destroyed. Milk, with 
all its products, forms the best diet in these two periods of our 
lives, together with eggs, and carbohydrates in the form of 
gruel, rice, sago, tapioca, finely prepared grains, and certain 
cereals ; also in porridges, although for the better development 
of the teeth in children foods of a harder consistency should 
also be given, as soon as they are able to masticate the same. 
Meat or other albumin-containing foods should not be spared 
during the period of growth, since otherwise, as we show in 



84 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



various parts of this work, serious injury to the organism may 
result. As regards the quantity of the various food substances 
to be taken daily, Rubner has given the following table : — 





Albumin. 


Fat. 


Carbohy- 
drates. 


Calories. 


In nursing children at the earliest 
as'e 


8 
63 
80 
91 


17 
37 
47 
45 


37 
225 
280 
322 


344 


Children weighing 20 kilos 

40 " 

Old, weak persons of both sexes . . 


1524 
1913 
2111 



Regarding the difference in food for adult women and 
men, it would appear that women can do with less than men. 
It may be mentioned that women of the same height as men 
weigh less, and in general also do less work. However, after 
a series of observations I must conclude that most probably 
other features, principally sexual, should be taken into con- 
sideration; I have frequently noticed that hard-working 
women, masseuses, for instance, of the same weight, do well 
with foods which in albumin and number of calories are far 
below the rations of men doing the same work, and do not 
suffer at all in either their weight or health. 



5. Several Observations Concerning Cooking, Especially 
that of Fish and Vegetables. 

Were we able to take our foods in the form in which they 
have been created by nature, with all their useful components, 
and the important ferments contained therein, it would really 
form a complete diet from which we could derive much benefit. 
Our jaws and organs, however, are not so constituted as to be 
able to bear such a diet, unless we should, like the fruit-eaters, 
live upon fruit alone. While such a mode of nourishment 
might, for certain individuals, prove sufficient for a time, and 
undoubtedly beneficial as well, it is certainly not indicated for 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 85 

the majority. We must take all kinds of foods, and in order 
that the nutrient substances contained therein be exposed to 
the action of our digestive fluids the one method now known 
that enables us to attain this end is cooking". In this way the 
raw fibers and connective tissues which offer such resistance 
to our teeth and digestive fluids are softened, and the very 
useful cells contained in them are rendered useful. On the 
other hand, some valuable substances are unfortunately lost, 
which is all the more to be regretted since the phenomenal care- 
lessness and the lack of knowledge with which our foods are 
prepared are responsible for this unnecessary destruction and 
waste of many of the most useful substances. The greatest 
crime, however, is against that very important requirement of 
our food, its palatability. It is quite natural that in order to 
make them more digestible food should be heated to the boiling 
point, or even above it, but that it should be necessary to con- 
tinuously, i.e., during a prolonged period, subject them to the 
highest boiling heat during their preparation I am very much 
inclined to doubt. It is very certain that by such overcooking 
at a high temperature, which is unfortunately the custom in 
many places, and, as is sometimes the case, by overpressure, 
the foods are very much deteriorated, especially as regards 
the taste; their more material uses, namely, their nutritive 
values, also suffer. Very important constituents — and money 
value as well — are thus simply and unnecessarily thrown out 
of the window, since the purchase of a proper cooking utensil 
would obviate all this. Anyone who, in the public schools, has 
learned the most elementary principles of physics knows that 
water is a solvent, having the property of drawing out sub- 
stances, and that hot water has an even greater action in. this 
respect. Our cooks, however, do not in the least appear to 
take into consideration this first principle of their art, for 
meat, potatoes (even without the skin), etc., are left lying in 
water for some time before they are even placed upon the fire 



86 Health Through Rational Diet. 

to then be successfully freed, by slow boiling, of their most 
succulent properties. Certainly, such a great heat continuing 
for some time will greatly impair their quality and also affect 
their value as food ; the unfortunate feature of it all is the fact 
that it is not at all necessary, for, once the "cooking heat" has 
been reached, the hard substances are softened, the injurious 
constituents are destroyed, and the foodstuffs need then no 
longer be continuously subjected to such a high temperature. 
Very many foods taste better, and are so in every respect, when 
after a short period of high temperature they are kept for a 
long time (one to two hours) at a much lower one than that 
of the boiling point. 

How injurious this long boiling with overpressure may be 
has been shown by Axel Hoist in experiments upon chickens. 
When they were fed with meat cooked for one-half hour at 
the boiling point (ioo° C.) they remained well, but at no° C, 
with one-half hour's cooking, they were affected with neuritis. 
Boiling for any length of time is particularly injurious. All 
foods suffer under this procedure, but fish and vegetables espe- 
cially so. They are all soaked out and lose all taste, which is 
particularly bad in the case of fish, which at best contains only 
a very small percentage of tasty substances. Steaming would 
be much the best for both fish and vegetables; the latter lose 
much of the substances which make them such valuable foods, 
namely, the important nutrient salts, as was found by Roese, 1 
after cooking in hot water. The water in which vegetables are 
boiled is usually thrown away. It would be much more prac- 
tical to let them simmer in a little water (several spoonfuls) 
and then to let them steam in their own juices, or, better still, 
by adding some butter in the so-called English style. Unfor- 
tunately, this method is not used in England, at least, not ac- 
cording to my experience. The vegetables which I ate every- 
where in England were absolutely boiled out in hot water, and 

1 Roese : Loc. cit. 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 87 

had no taste whatever. The same was the case in the country 
where the best vegetables are to be had, viz., Holland. It would 
consequently be far better to cook fish and vegetables, and all 
foods, in fact, in steam instead of in water; the very best 
method, however, is the cooking in closed vessels, with a water- 
containing receptacle below; in this way the food does not 
come into contact with either water or steam, the aroma is 
thus retained, the food has a much better taste, meat becomes 
softer and more juicy, the food substances retain their color 
and shape, and all are much more appetizing. Even though, 
as was found at the International Food Congress by Carcas- 
sagne and Maurel, stewing in butter causes considerable less 
loss of the nutrient salts, cooking vegetables by steam is ad- 
vantageous in that it insures the retention of the nitrogenous 
extractives as well as the carbohydrates and albumins. 

The art of cooking is therefore of the greatest consequence 
for our nourishment, and consequently for our thriving both 
in sickness and in health. We see, thus, the importance of the 
rational method of cooking in the care of the sick. In recogni- 
tion of this fact, H. Strauss, in Berlin, has established a course 
of cooking for physicians, which has been very well attended. 
Unfortunately, sufficient means are not always at hand for the 
employment of a number of well-informed persons necessary 
for the proper management of a large kitchen ; the difficulty of 
properly educating the kitchen staff is also an obstacle. In both 
civil and military hospitals, however, these difficulties might 
be overcome in the following way: In England and in 
America the daughters of the upper classes very often devote 
themselves to nursing, and probably in no other country in the 
world does this field of work occupy the same standing as in 
those countries. In this country (Austria) the nuns and 
trained nurses form a very valuable personnel, but they are 
not found in the military hospitals, notwithstanding the fact 
that women are much more efficient nurses than men. Since 



88 Health Through Rational Diet. 

the new movement of women's suffrage claims for them the 
same rights as for men, the women might also be retained for 
this service, but they would then have to proclaim their alle- 
giance to the service of their country in the same manner as the 
men ; this could be carried out in the form of one year's service, 
one-half of which would be spent in the nursing department of 
the military hospitals, and the other half in the kitchens of 
barracks and other public establishments. This would not cost 
the State any more, if the daughters of the upper classes were 
obliged to defray their own expenses. The priceless benefits 
derived from the proper care of the men would more than 
counterbalance the expenses incurred in providing for those 
women who would have to be paid, when the much better 
health of the soldiers, the more rapid recovery of the patients, 
and the consequent shorter stay in the hospital are taken into 
consideration. I am perhaps rather in advance of the times in 
advocating this plan, but it will probably be realized at some 
future time. In times of war the usefulness and activity of 
such a well-nourished and well-cared-for army would be very 
great, and the health of the people in general would also be 
vastly better, if every wife not only of a rich man, but also 
of a working man, would have undergone a course of previous 
training, which would acquaint her with the practical value of 
foods, etc. It would be well, too, if two or three times each 
week an hour were devoted to cooking in every school for 
girls, with practical teaching in regard to the various foods. 
Proper cooking is the basis of all dietetic science. The most 
valuable nutrient substance is of no use to us when not properly 
prepared. 

6. Hints upon the Mode of Eating, and the Rational 
Division of Meals. 

When one sits down to a meal he should not be restricted 
or harassed in any way, for just as a singer will be unable to 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 89 

sing well when not in the humor for doing so will our nutrition 
fail to progress satisfactorily when we are not well disposed 
for it. When a man eats he is satisfying a craving, that of 
hunger; and just as is the case in all other impulses, he must, 
when eating, devote his entire attention to it. In a measure, 
eating is a sort of religious procedure, upon which depends 
the health and progress of mankind. 

This was well known to the ancients, and they invested 
the act of eating with a sort of sanctity, as was also the case in 
the accomplishment of the other impulses of life, pertaining to 
its origin and maintenance. Some religions require that their 
high priests shall eat alone, as does the Dalai Lama in Thibet, 
and the same custom is observed by some oriental potentates. 
I saw this myself when, several years ago, I was treating the 
Shah Muzaffer Eddin, who was served by his courtiers, but 
sat alone at table. 

While eating, and thus accomplishing a function of nature, 
neither man nor beast should be disturbed. The most good- 
natured dog will growl when disturbed while eating, and he 
has reason to do so, for Pawlow has shown that when a dog 
is thus disturbed, or when his attention has simply been 
diverted, the process of digestion, both in the stomach and in 
the intestine, is disturbed, and it takes a little while to set it in 
order again. Much less should a person be disturbed, and it 
ought to be made a law that no master should ever disturb 
his employes during their mealtime, or require them to serve a 
customer, especially when taking into consideration their frugal 
meal and the rapidity with which it is consumed. A consider- 
ate person will not even disturb a cab-horse when he sees it 
devouring its meal at the cab-stand ; he would rather step into 
another cab. 

Rapid eating is very injurious. An animal cannot re- 
strain itself, and I saw a fox-terrier, before his food had been 
placed on the ground, leap into the air to seize it, and commence 



90 Health Through Rational Diet. 

at once to devour it. He could not wait patiently until his 
food had been put down. Owing to their great eagerness and 
their appetite, animals secrete so much gastric juice that they 
are able to digest insufficiently masticated foods. Man, how- 
ever, does not have the same gastric juice as the hog or dog, 
which would enable him to digest so easily ; consequently, with 
him, much depends upon the proper chewing of the food. 

We must therefore eat slowly, and, above all, sufficiently 
masticate the food. This causes more saliva to be secreted, 
and the digestion of the food, especially that of a very starchy 
nature, is greatly facilitated; the food substances are also 
divided into such small parts that the stomach and intestines 
have less work to perform. According to Horace Fletcher, the 
food should be masticated until it has no more taste. We owe 
to the works of Fletcher, van Summeren, and Harry Campbell 
our knowledge of the great importance of a thorough mastica- 
tion of our food for our welfare and the maintenance of our 
health. We should only swallow that which can be dissolved 
in the mouth or can be finely masticated ; all the rest had much 
better be removed from the mouth than swallowed. 

It is a very unhygienic practice to swallow one's food as 
hot as it can be borne. One could learn much in this respect 
from the dog. This sensible animal will not touch food which 
is hot, even when he is hungry, but will wait until it has cooled. 
How often do we burn our tongues with hot soups, and the 
whitish color of the pharynx, fauces, etc., shows that one has 
frequently taken such hot foods. Hot drinks, too, have an 
injurious effect upon the stomach, as has been demonstrated by 
Boas. According to the experiments of Best and Cohnheim, 
however, this, as well as the drinking of ice-water, has but 
little disturbing effect upon healthy persons. 

A very important rule in eating is to wait until one has 
an appetite. It happens very often, however, that when in 
consequence of professional duties or bodily exertions there is 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 91 

no particular appetite it comes gradually after one has begun 
to eat, in accordance with the old French saying, "I'appetit 
vient en mangeant. ,} Bouillon, or meat extract, taken with a 
piece of bread will bring about this result, or what is still more 
simple, and not in the least injurious for anyone, a glass of 
fresh, cold water. In order that the appetite should be aroused, 
it is desirable to have a sufficiently long interval between the 
meals. When the breakfast is very frugal and limited in 
quantity, as is, unfortunately, the custom in this region, con- 
sisting only of coffee and a roll, the midday meal should 
come about four hours later, not later than at 12 o'clock, 
and, six or seven hours later, according as the midday meal has 
been more or less plentiful, the evening meal should be taken. 
When, however, we consider that after the supper, which takes 
place, say, at 7 o'clock, and which, with us, is also not to say 
abundant, nothing further is taken until 7 or 8 o'clock the next 
morning, the stomach remaining empty during twelve or thir- 
teen hours, the perversity of our habit of taking such a light 
breakfast appears in its true light. It would certainly be more 
to the purpose to eat more at breakfast, and all the more so 
since very frequently the greatest amount of work is done im- 
mediately after that meal. It is certainly the main object of 
our food to furnish fuel for our machine in its work, be it 
bodily or mental; to replace lost tissues, and to protect us 
against disease. To eat little and to work hard with an empty 
stomach — very often mental work is more difficult than the 
bodily — certainly does not conform to the main purpose of our 
diet, and in growing children, who are to build up new tissues, 
is certainly most dangerous. Even though children are some- 
times given a slice of bread and butter between the meals, and 
adults, driven by hunger, indulge in rather objectionable alco- 
holic drinks and — in German countries — sausage, possibly no 
longer very fresh, this certainly does not afford any real help. 
And since in some cities the midday meal is taken at 1 o'clock, 



92 Health Through Rational Diet. 



£>' 



and in Berlin even at half-past i, the injurious effect of such a 
sparing, unhygienic breakfast becomes most evident. It is 
therefore most rational to imitate the habit of the English and 
Americans, and to eat a better breakfast — not meat, however, 
but oatmeal porridge and an egg, or, in the case of fatiguing 
work, two, with pancakes made of cereals, butter, and syrup or 
fruit jam. In general, it is an important rule, in regard to our 
diet, to regulate the amount of food which we take at meals 
according to the work we are to do. It is also much better to 
take our principal meal, as is frequently done in France, Hol- 
land, England, and America, after the work has been accom- 
plished and not before it, especially in the case of a mixed 
diet, with meat, since after a considerable proportion of meat 
has been eaten one is apt to feel rather heavy and uninclined to 
work. In regard to moving about after meals, the English 
saying, "After dinner sit awhile, after supper walk a mile," 
should be obeyed. 

Before breakfast one should take i or 2 oranges or a half 
or the whole of a grapefruit (see Chapter IV) ; when available 
cherries may also be taken, or honey or fruit jams. For the 
principal meal, vegetable soup, meat, or an omelet; scrambled 
eggs, or eggs prepared with vegetables ; potatoes or some other 
food rich in starch ; some green vegetables ; stewed fruit, fresh 
in summer or dried in winter. For the evening meal, or — 
when the principal meal is taken in the evening — at noontime, 
vegetable soup, eggs prepared in various ways, cheese, starchy 
foods, vegetables, stewed or fresh fruit. At the midday and 
evening meals, particularly with the milk-egg-vegetable diet, 
plenty of the former should be taken. The evening meal 
should not be taken later than 6 or half-past, or 7 at latest, 
and in any case at least three hours before going to bed. Those 
who wish to enjoy the advantages of very early rising, at 4 or 
5 o'clock, to which I have referred in my book on "Old Age 
Deferred,' , should not take their principal meal later than at 



The Fundamental Laws of Rational Feeding. 93 

ii o'clock. We would enjoy much more of the daylight in 
summer if we would adopt this beneficial habit. This, how- 
ever, could only be properly carried out provided all factors 
would conform to it, as in Carlsbad, where the theaters and 
concerts are over at 9 o'clock, and one goes to bed at 10 or 
half-past. How many hours we could then work ! I know, by 
personal experience, that from 4 to 8 o'clock in the morning 
a great deal of work can be done, the mind being then fresh 
and unwearied. 



CHAPTER III. 

INJURIOUS MODES OF FEEDING. 

I. The Injurious Effect of a One-sided Diet. 

The celebrated English physician, Harvey, who lived in 
the seventeenth century, treated one of his patients, suffering 
from obesity, by a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat, 
that is to say, albumin. As a result of this, the patient became 
much thinner. It should be mentioned, however, that such a 
diet, which since then has often been resorted to in obesity, 
causes a series of unpleasant symptoms in addition to the de- 
cided loss of flesh, to wit, fatigue, faintness, perspiration, 
nervous excitability, etc. 

Such a one-sided meat diet always brings about a result 
which in every rational diet is to be carefully avoided, namely, 
a diminution of the amount of albumin in the body. Such a 
pronounced loss of bodily albumin may often have very serious 
consequences. These generally occur, as experiments have 
shown, when man or animals are restricted to an albumin-con- 
taining food to the exclusion of both carbohydrates and fats. 
Even when large quantities of albumin are administered there 
will be a very considerable loss of albumin, and when dogs 
are fed upon such a diet it is not possible to keep up their 
nitrogen balance. This occurs also when fats have been ex- 
cluded from the nourishment. It is only by administering 
carbohydrates that this is possible. When these are absent 
there will be a considerable loss of flesh. In diabetic patients, 
after such a faulty, exclusively meat and fat diet, there will be 
a decided aggravation of the condition, together with the for- 
mation of acetone bodies, and very frequently such patients 
(94) 



Injurious Modes of Feeding. 95 

die in coma, owing to acid poisoning. When, however, carbo- 
hydrates are added to the diet, a great improvement will often 
be noticed. 

An almost exclusive carbohydrate diet, that is to say, a 
starchy diet, may also give rise to bad results. When starch 
is taken in too large quantities, acid fermentation takes place 
in the intestinal canal and intestinal peristalsis is greatly in- 
creased. In consequence the food is very soon excreted from 
the intestine without having been absorbed in the fluids of the 
body, and emaciation will result. Persons who nourish them- 
selves almost exclusively upon carbohydrates, as rice, for in- 
stance, like the poor Hindoos, are, as a rule, very thin. With 
Europeans, too, who advocate a purely vegetable diet, the same 
thing will be observed. Since in this way too little albumin is 
taken, and very often fat as well, this should also be considered 
a one-sided diet. 

By a one-sided diet I mean one which is almost entirely 
or at least principally composed of one of the three main groups 
of foods, albumins, carbohydrates, or fats, and in which the 
other two are absent, or one absent and the other but slightly 
represented. In this sense the purely vegetable diet is certainly 
one-sided, for, although it may sometimes, though not very 
often, contain a fair percentage of carbohydrates, there is 
almost always much too little albumin. When the albumin is 
not sufficiently represented, more fat should be taken; this, 
however, is rarely done by vegetarians. 

When anyone lives solely upon plant food, the assimilation 
of the food substances by means of the intestine is but poorly 
accomplished. Atwater, basing himself upon his numerous 
experiments, found that with a purely vegetable diet up to 
28.26 per cent, of the nitrogenous substance of the food was 
eliminated unused. When a moderate amount of animal food 
was added assimilation was considerably improved, only 11.59 
per cent, being lost. With a plentiful supply of animal food, 



96 Health Through Rational Diet. 



only 8.88 per cent, was lost. According to the experiments of 
Atwater, it is impossible to retain the nitrogen balance with 
vegetable foods only. 

Although milk contains all three of the main nutrient 
groups in the proper proportions, we must, nevertheless, con- 
sider a diet consisting of milk alone as one-sided, since only 
one kind of food is taken. An adult person can get on very 
well with milk only during a certain time, say four to six 
weeks; but when persisted in, this mode of nourishment is 
quite as injurious as any other one-sided diet. Milk, when 
taken alone, is not fully assimilated; about 1 8 per cent, of the 
food is lost through faulty assimilation. As much as 4 quarts 
of milk would have to be taken daily to thrive upon this diet. 
When cheese or bread is added, the assimilation is much better. 
The diet is then no longer one-sided, and has no injurious 
results ; on the contrary, persons who are heroic enough to live 
in this way, or who are compelled by circumstances to do so, 
may be sure of a long life. As I have stated in my book on 
"Old Age Deferred," it has happened that such persons have 
lived to be over 100 years old. 

A one-sided diet, consisting of the same thing day after 
day, may also be poorly assimilated for the simple reason that 
the sameness of the diet does not in the least excite the appe- 
tite, and that, as a result, the psychic gastric juice as well as 
the juices of the pancreatic glands are excreted in very small 
quantities, thus causing the digestive process to suffer. It is 
only in certain diseases that such a one-sided diet may be of 
use, as, for instance, in diabetes; even here it will be found 
that the addition of other vegetables to a diet of potatoes or 
oats will cause the sugar to diminish. 

For a normal person a one-sided diet is not in any way 
advisable, as it has the same effect as insufficient nutrition, the 
injurious effects of which will be dealt with in the next chapter. 



Injurious Modes of Feeding. 97 

2. The Consequences of Harmful and Insufficient Diet. 

It is a well-known fact that house animals, as poultry, 
for instance, very readily become diseased when they are not 
sufficiently or properly fed. In animals living in the open the 
same thing is often observed. The hazel hen, or heath pout, for 
instance, is greatly endangered by certain small organisms, the 
Trichostrongylus gracilis. It was noticed that, in the years 
during which they found plenty of food, they were much more 
free from these pests, and their number in the hunting season 
was much greater than at times when their food was scarce. 

The same thing will be noticed in man. In times of 
famine epidemics followed as a rule, as we have seen in history. 
This is also true of the individual. The poor, who' are not able 
to nourish themselves sufficiently, are much more apt to become 
the prey of a scourage, like tuberculosis, for instance, than the 
well-fed people of the upper classes. What a difference be- 
tween the pale and thin tailor's apprentice and the robust 
butcher-boy, and how the pale cheeks of the poor little sewing- 
girl contrast with the rosy ones of the girl in the meat and 
sausage shops! 

How much better it would be for the working population 
— I mean that of the large cities — to live in the country and till 
the ground! The food of the former is often much poorer 
and insufficient for the work they have to do. Their nutrition 
is inadequate. Meat is so dear at present that they can seldom 
buy any, and milk and cheese are also expensive and are but 
poorly represented in their diet. They are consequently re- 
stricted to the cereals as a general thing. In the latter, nourish- 
ing constituents are inclosed in thick husks, which are digested 
with difficulty, so that, as in rye bread, as much as 40 per 
cent, of the so important albumin is sometimes lost. It is 
evident, therefore, that such mode of feeding is often insuffi- 
cient, and predisposes to malnutrition. 

7 



98 Health Through Rational Diet. 

By malnutrition we mean the inadequate intake of nutrient 
values in the body. Such a faulty manner of feeding is espe- 
cially injurious when an insufficient quantity of albumin is ab- 
sorbed. Albumin is particularly necessary during the period 
of growth, since the building-stones for the elaboration of the 
bodily structure are mainly formed by an albuminous diet. 
For the adult as well a sufficient intake of albumin is neces- 
sary, especially when, owing to debilitating diseases, body sub- 
stances have been lost which can only be replaced by an albu- 
minous diet. Also in the normal person many cells are lost 
during the accomplishment of the various bodily functions, 
i.e., the digestion, frequent coition, the daily shedding of the 
epithelium, etc. ; and since all these cells must be renewed, the 
albumin diet must make up for the losses. When the laborer 
over and over again strikes his hammer upon the anvil, and 
continues to do this for a long time, he acquires a great mus- 
cular growth ; the working muscles are better nourished owing 
to the continuous flow of blood into them, they increase in 
volume, and this muscular development can then only be suc- 
cessfully supported by the albumin. The labor itself is at the 
expense of the glycogen, and is thus carried on by the carbohy- 
drates; the glycogen may, however, have its origin in the 
albumin, i.e., in the carbohydrate molecules merged with it. 

According to Pettenkoffer and Voit, more oxygen is con- 
sumed during hard labor and more carbonic acid is given off. 
The metabolic process is activated; and as a working machine 
requires more fuel than one which is standing still, so the 
laborer must also take more food. 

In cold weather, also, more food is required. Voit and 
the Duke Karl Ludwig of Bavaria state that in the cold season 
more oxygen is absorbed and more carbonic acid given off. 
When the poor wear only thin clothing they give off much 
heat and are obliged to make up that much more. They thus 
require to be better nourished and must absorb more fat, since 



Injurious Modes of Feeding. 99 

more fat is consumed. It is related of the North Pole explorers 
that when they had eaten heartily they felt very comfortable 
in their sleeping bags, but when they had not much to eat they 
were shivering and freezing, no matter how well wrapped up 
they were. 

When, therefore, a poor working man has but little to 
eat, and is besides thinly clad, he will almost always feel hungry 
while at work, and will readily fall a prey to infectious dis- 
eases. How much more is this the case among the children of 
the poor, who are in the growing stage, and have to do mental 
work at school, or, having reached the age of 14, and even 
before then in some States, are obliged to work in factories! 
How necessary it is to provide these poor school children with 
warm clothes in winter, and, above all, to- give them meat, 
milk, and eggs, for it is principally among them that the disease 
of the poor (tuberculosis) finds the most victims! In order 
that the albumin intake be sufficient, at least 50 grams daily 
should be taken. 

When children are given but a small amount of albumin 
a long time, the deficient nutrition involved may give rise to 
very serious results. Munk, Rosenheim, and Jaegerroos found 
that in dogs the food of which contained but little albumin the 
processes of digestion and assimilation were very poorly car- 
ried out. They lost fat to the extent of 28 per cent., and of the 
nitrogen twice or three times the normal amount. Jaeger roos's 
dogs very easily fell prey to infectious diseases and finally 
died. Intestinal putrefaction is also increased by underfeeding 
(Jaffe). 

The injurious effect of underfeeding upon the formation 
and the composition of the blood is of the greatest importance. 
We have already mentioned that deficient nourishment has an 
injurious action in this connection; also that this is especially 
the case during great bodily exertion. We may also mention 
that Munk found a general increase of the water in the tissues 



100 Health Through Rational Diet. 

with insufficient nourishment. According to Grawitz, this is 
due to the diminution of the albumin content of the plasma. 
I also deem it important to quote word for word the statement 
of the hematologist, Grawitz. 1 He says : "I believe that I am 
justified in concluding, in accordance with the views of older 
authors, that insufficient and poorly combined foods lead to 
anemia, and this most particularly when heavy bodily labor is 
being carried on. This is first characterized by a diminution 
of the albumin content of the serum, but in the later stages 
there is undoubtedly an alteration of the red blood-corpuscles, 
since the full complete integrity of the cells would ultimately 
become impossible, in view of the hydremic condition of the 
serum. " 

According to Hoesslin's experiments on dogs, chronic 
undernutrition, when continued for months, caused a diminu- 
tion of the quantity of blood in general. According to Munk, 
the quantity of blood in man is also diminished, and the 
muscles and organs are poorly supplied or underfed, thus 
developing bloodless muscles and lean individuals. Panner 
states that starvation caused a diminution of the blood content 
of the body. 

All this may bring about most serious results, since our 
immunity against infectious diseases depends, as has been 
shown by Metchnikoff and others, upon the formation and 
composition of the blood, the elements of which protect us 
against the various bacteria. It is therefore easy to understand 
why chronically underfed persons easily become the prey of 
contagious diseases. 

I would like to cite here, as an instructive example, the 
fact that races which feed principally upon vegetables and are 
poorly nourished have a comparatively short life. The 
Cameroon negroes, says Hans Meyer, 2 live on an average 

1 Grawitz : hoc. cit., S. 246. 

2 Hans Meyer : "Das Deutsche Kolonialreich," Leipzig und "Wien, 
1910, S. 483. 






Injurious Modes of Feeding. 101 

about 40 years. Their food is mainly vegetable and consists 
of the starchy roots of various Euphorbiaceae and Marantas, 
and of millet. (The assimilation of the latter, as has already 
been stated, is imperfect.) In contrast with these vegetarian 
Cameroon negroes is another African tribe, the Masai, of 
whom we have already spoken. They live upon a generous 
diet. The warriors feed only upon meat, blood, and milk ; the 
rest of the people eat many vegetables, but also take a sufficient 
quantity of milk and meat. Captain Merker, in his compre- 
hensive monograph concerning this tribe, 1 states the instructive 
facts that the Masais live to a comparatively old age, that 
sickness rarely occurs among them, and is rapidly cured. 

It is obvious, therefore, that a plentiful, that is to say, a 
sufficiently ample, diet is a great protection for us. When we 
consider that we are constantly, by day and by night, subjected 
to the inroads of millions of bacteria, it is very foolish to facili- 
tate their entrance into our tissues by insufficient nourishment. 
Especial care should be taken, therefore, that every one, ac- 
cording to his size and constitution, have the proper amount 
of food, and especially a sufficient quantity of albumin. Of all 
the various forms of bacteria to which our organism is vulner- 
able, the greatest danger of infection lies in the bacillus of 
tuberculosis, and against this a sufficiently generous diet, as we 
shall show in the next chapter, will best protect us. 

3. Tuberculosis as a Consequence of Deficient Nutrition, and 
its Prevention by Adequate Nourishment. 

It is a remarkable fact that the intelligent anthropoid 
apes which are exhibited in the various places of entertain- 
ment all die of tuberculosis, as do nearly all monkeys which 
are kept in Europe. It is rare that any of them die of any 
other disease. 

1 "Die Masai," loc. cit, i, 243. 



102 Health Through Rational Diet. 

This strange fact has excited my interest since a long 
time, and several years ago, in London, I studied the monkeys 
in a circus, with a view to elucidating this particular matter. 
As a result I came to the conclusion that the principal reason 
was a faulty method of nutrition. The monkeys are originally 
vegetarians, and, bearing this in mind, their owners also feed 
them upon vegetables, principally carrots, fruits, etc. Such a 
mode of feeding would undoubtedly be sufficient in the tropical 
climates of the Congo or of Brazil, but is not in our northern 
climates. Here they require richer foods containing more 
albumin and fats, but, since such a diet costs more, the poor 
monkeys are deprived of it, and consequently fall an easy prey 
to tuberculosis. 

I might add that the few monkeys which were given milk 
and meat were in much better condition, and did not contract 
tuberculosis. The circus chimpanzees of Hagenbeck, and Max 
and Moritz, which are now being exhibited in various places, 
are fed by their trainer, Mr. Castan, upon a mixed diet, and, as 
I lately had the opportunity to convince myself, are in very 
good health. 

A necessary factor in the development of tuberculosis is 
the entrance of the tubercle bacilli into our bodies. We fre- 
quently inhale millions of bacilli — especially when we find 
ourselves in the very impure air of an overfilled Berlin cafe, 
or in a moving-picture theater heated by steam — and yet do 
not contract tuberculosis. Other factors must therefore be 
essential. An important one is the inherited tendency to the 
disease. We very often see that the children of tuberculous 
parents do, nevertheless, remain immune when they grow up 
under favorable conditions, are in the open air a great deal, 
and eat plenty of good food. 

On the other hand, we observe that persons having no 
hereditary tendencies very easily acquire tuberculosis when 
they live in close rooms and are, in addition, poorly fed; as, 



Injurious Modes of Feeding. 103 

for instance, the sewing girls and dressmakers' assistants, etc. 
Of these two factors I would lay the greatest blame upon the 
deficient mode of nourishment. If the poor sewing girl could 
have the same food as her employer, the bad air of the work- 
room would affect her much less ; since, however, her diet con- 
sists principally of cakes, sweets, and some few not very 
nutritious vegetables, and very rarely or perhaps never con- 
tains a sufficient amount of albumin (sausage or meat), the 
poor child becomes consumptive. That tuberculosis often oc- 
curs where there is plenty of fresh air, but where the food is 
inadequate, is shown by the fact that it is very prevalent among 
the Indians of North America. I had the opportunity, while 
traveling in the western portion of the United States, to visit 
an Indian settlement in the State of Arizona, and also one in 
the city of Quebec, in Canada. The inadequate composition 
of the diet and, more particularly, the habitual use of strong 
alcoholic drinks, by reason of which the food is poorly digested 
and assimilated, must here be held responsible. The Maoris 
of New Zealand are often victims of tuberculosis, no doubt 
primarily because they nourish themselves in a very poor and 
insufficient manner. They very rarely have any meat. 

As an instructive example, contrasting with the above- 
mentioned people living in the open air, I would like to cite 
the inhabitants of London. The Londoners rarely acquire 
tuberculosis, notwithstanding the fact that they live in the 
foggy, smoky air of London, which is certainly not good, and 
where for several months they hardly see the sun. Why is 
this ? It is because they eat meat three times a day, at break- 
fast, dinner, and supper, and the poor, at least twice a day. 
As Sir William Roberts has affirmed, no one takes as much 
nitrogenous food as the Londoner. I would, however, not be 
inclined to disregard the favorable influence of the drinking 
water, which in that city contains lime, while in New Zealand 
it is very poor in lime. Defective development of the thorax 



104 Health Through Rational Diet. 

and liability to the so-called "paralytic" type of chest and to 
tuberculosis are referable to this, although there are large 
cities in Europe where lime-water is drunk, and where tuber- 
culosis frequently occurs, simply because the food of the poorer 
classes is miserable. Tuberculosis very often occurs among 
the inmates of prisons. Here the lack of air and exercise might 
receive the blame, but the food certainly exerts a great in- 
fluence. In many prisons the diet is exclusively or at least 
principally vegetarian. When vegetables are eaten, as has 
already been stated, a considerable portion is not properly as- 
similated; we are therefore disposed to consider a vegetable 
diet one-sided and as tending to malnutrition, owing to the 
inadequate intake of albumin. The fare of the prisoners in the 
Plotzensee prison was studied through a number of years by 
Paul Jeserich and Meinert. It was mainly vegetable, and was 
not sufficiently assimilated. This non-assimilation was then 
remedied by the addition of meat and eggs. A strictly vegeta- 
rian diet, owing to its inadequate albumin content, causes 
anemia, and may frequently cause tuberculosis, particularly 
when adhered to during the time of puberty and the period of 
greatest growth. It may then be called an absolutely murder- 
ous diet, since it is more favorable to the development of 
consumption than any other one thing. 

It is important to note that tuberculosis is more easily 
contracted when the largest amounts of nourishing substances 
are required by the body, in the growing period after the age 
of puberty, especially when there is excessive bodily develop- 
ment. It is a well-known fact that many giants die of con- 
sumption. Tuberculosis also occurs after pregnancy and other 
debilitating illnesses. In all these conditions much food should 
be taken, and particularly that of an albuminous nature. 

We must now answer the question as to how this inade- 
quate feeding, and in particular the deficient intake of albumin, 
gives rise to tuberculosis under these conditions? 









Injurious Modes of Feeding. 105 

This result occurs, in the first place, because, as we have 
already stated in the preceding chapter, such a mode of 
nourishment injuriously affects the quantity and the composi- 
tion of the blood, upon which our resisting power against in- 
fection principally depends. The process of phagocytosis 
(Metchnikoff) by which the injurious bacteria are destroyed, 
the production of immunizing substances, the opsonins, etc., 
must correspondingly suffer. This, however, also depends 
upon the condition of the thyroid gland, as I have previously 
stated in my book, "Old Age Deferred," for when this fails 
the elaboration of these protective substances is hindered. 

I have described in detail, in the above-named book, the 
action of the thyroid gland in protecting our bodies against 
infection of various kinds, as well as against poisoning. I 
shall, therefore, merely state here that, as I showed in a com- 
munication to the Tuberculosis Congress in Paris, 1905, this 
disease occurs most frequently in those conditions in which the 
thyroid gland is degenerated. In the conditions mentioned 
above as favoring the development of tuberculosis, there occur 
changes in the thyroid, associated perhaps with a state of ex- 
haustion after a previous period of overactivity. The produc- 
tion of the protective substances is thereby lessened, and 
infection can take place the more readily. When, in conse- 
quence of defective nutrition with inadequate albumin content, 
the quantity of the substance contained in the blood which 
serves to build up the protective elements (the leucocytes, for 
example) which destroy the bacteria, and which are composed 
of albumin, — nuclein, nucleoalbumin, — is diminished, the re- 
sistance of the body will be correspondingly decreased. 

Anything, therefore, which will increase the activity of 
the thyroid gland will likewise increase the powers of resistance 
against tuberculosis, and chief among these factors is a suitable 
food in sufficient amount. Meat is such a food; especially 
fresh, bloody meat, which contains a large amount of ex- 



106 Health Through Rational Diet. 



tractive substances. A diet of meat, and especially the extractive 
substances contained in the meat, exerts a stimulating- effect- 
upon the thyroid gland. One of the very best means for the 
prevention of consumption is the taking of finely chopped, raw, 
bloody meat, a method recommended since a number of years 
by a number of authors (Richet and others) and which is 
certainly very efficacious. The manner in which this protective 
agent acts has already been stated. The taking of many eggs 
and milk (raw, from healthy animals) may also prove very 
beneficial. Milk, as we have already stated, also excites the 
activity of the thyroid gland, owing to its content of the in- 
ternal secretion of the thyroid, which passes into the milk. 
By means of a plentiful intake of fat in the form of cream, 
butter, bacon, and that contained in meat, as well as of carbohy- 
drates, such as tapioca, sago, rice, macaroni, etc., a process of 
fattening-up will occur which will lessen the chances of tuber- 
culous infection. 

The best and most certain measure for the prevention of 
tuberculosis consists, then, in addition to other hygienic pre- 
cautions, — plenty of fresh air, — of an ample diet, with plenty 
of meat, eggs, and milk. Overnutrition may, when long con- 
tinued, — as we shall show in the succeeding chapters, — involve 
certain dangers; these, however, are by no means so marked 
as those of undernutrition, and, in any case, the former will 
prove a powerful weapon against tuberculosis. 

4. The Untoward Consequences of Overnutrition. 

When our food tastes good we are easily led to eat more 
than is necessary to satisfy our hunger, which is undoubtedly 
the chief object in eating. The enjoyment of our food is, 
however, an actual necessity, for when we enjoy what we eat 
we generally digest it much better than we would otherwise. 
It is apt to follow, however, that we eat too much, and that 



Injurious Modes of Feeding. 107 

this is injurious, especially in the case of meat, is shown by the 
distaste for work of any kind which comes over us after an 
unduly hearty meal. The lower the plane of intelligence of a 
man, the less, like the animals, will he be able to control his 
rapacity when good food is placed before him. Among many 
negro tribes in Central Africa meat is a rarity. Consequently 
their inordinate craving for this class of food may be due to 
the very low albumin content of their usual diet. When they 
are, at some time or other, placed in a position to eat meat, it 
can readily be seen what an injurious action is exerted by ex- 
cessive amounts of this food. I have already mentioned that 
in an expedition made by the Commissary-general of the 
Congo army, De Meulemeester, his column of 40 men fed 
themselves during two and one-half days upon the meat and 
skin of an elephant weighing 5000 kilos. These negroes ate 
so much that their bellies stood out like balls. As a result of 
eating such quantities of meat the men became poisoned, as it 
were; they were stupefied and so tired that De Meulemeester 
was obliged, notwithstanding the haste with which the expedi- 
tion was expected to advance, to rest for an entire day, until 
the men should recover and be able to resume the march. 
Overfeeding is always injurious, but this is particularly the 
case with meat, as illustrated by the example given. Not only 
negroes, but white men as well, will act in the manner just 
mentioned when they have partaken of too much meat. The 
dangers attending such a condition will be fully described in 
the chapter on meat diet. Other foods, however, than those 
which are really useful for us may also have a most harmful 
action when taken in too large amount. In the first place the 
organs of digestion are thereby subjected to an excess of work, 
and when, in addition, the food has been taken very rapidly, 
as is usually the case with heavy eaters, digestive disturbances 
will easily result, both in the stomach and intestines and the 
liver as well. In man somewhat the same thing occurs as in 



108 Health Through Rational Diet. 

geese when they are fattened: he is likely to acquire an en- 
larged and fatty liver, especially when, in addition to over- 
eating, alcoholic beverages are taken as well. Cirrhosis of the 
liver is the result of such excesses. That the daily trans- 
portation of large amounts of blood, consequent upon too great 
an intake of food and drink, will finally prove harmful to the 
arteries is certain, since the elasticity of their walls is thereby 
lost and arteriosclerosis favored. This condition also fre- 
quently occurs when, together with heavy eating, including 
plenty of meat, there are other predisposing factors such as 
syphilis, tobacco, and alcohol. 

The overloading of metabolism with the wastes resulting 
from the combustion of such quantities of food, especially of 
meat, can undoubtedly result only in harm, for even the organs 
which regulate the metabolic processes, the ductless glands, — 
thyroid, sexual glands, and adrenals, — become injured by such 
excessive feeding. Obesity, gout, and diabetes are the result. 
To the detoxicating organs, which are thus so seriously im- 
paired, belong also the kidneys, and by such a faulty method 
of feeding a loss of important secretory portions of the kidneys 
is incurred and degeneration in their tissue takes place. Thus, 
we observe that a whole series of our most important organs 
is injured by overnutrition and, indeed, life is probably short- 
ened. While malnutrition in early childhood is responsible 
for the many deaths caused by infectious diseases, the attain- 
ment of an advanced age is also often prevented by the perni- 
cious habit of overeating. Galen justly said, at a time when 
many men fell by the sword: "Plures gnla quam gladius 
occidit" — More are killed by gluttony than by the sword. 






CHAPTER IV. 

THE GOOD AND EVIL EFFECTS OF VARIOUS 
FOOD SUBSTANCES. 

(a) Meat Diet. 

i. Concerning Meat and Various Kinds of Fish. 

There is no article of food which more closely resembles 
our tissues than the meat of animals, and probably hardly any 
from which greater amounts of albumin can be so easily ab- 
sorbed and digested by our bodies. It is, however, not really 
because of its nutritive value that meat is so greatly sought 
after as a food, since quite a number of other food substances, 
such as rice, possess even greater nutritive qualities than meat ; 
cheese and cereals in the form of porridge also contain large 
amounts of albumin. A major reason is no doubt the presence 
in meat of certain flavoring substances, which are very stimu- 
lating both for the digestion and general health; but the 
greatest value of meat probably lies in the fact that the quality 
of the albumin therein most nearly approaches that of our own 
tissues, and even more so, in that meat, especially certain kinds 
of it, is rich in cell nuclei, which play a role of considerable 
importance in carrying on the processes of life. 

The cell nuclei, and the nuclein contained therein, have 
been the objects of much disparagement because the purin bases 
and uric acid are formed by their disintegration ; but were we 
to abandon a useful article of food merely because it exerts 
an injurious effect when taken in excessive quantities, we would 
not only have to give up a whole series of valuable foods, but 
abandon the use of our most effective drugs as well. Un- 
doubtedly meat has the disadvantage of carrying into the 

(109) 



110 Health Through Rational Diet. 

organism more nuclein than perhaps any other article of food. 
It may be mentioned, in this connection, that these animal 
nucleins are supposed to have a more injurious action than 
those of vegetables, but we might also say that their value 
depends precisely upon the fact that they are animal nucleins. 
In certain kinds of meat, such as beef, we absorb more of such 
substances, as well as more of extractives and flavoring sub- 
stances, because, by virtue of the greater proportion of con- 
nective tissue present, less of these constituents is given off in 
the process of cooking. It is different in the case of veal, 
which is more tender and of a liner fiber, contains less con- 
nective tissue, and consequently gives off its fluid contents 
more easily. We therefore call beef, which contains more 
blood, dark meat, in contradistinction to veal, which we call 
light meat. Veal contains much water, and its appearance 
fully justifies the term light meat. Chicken also includes a 
good deal of light meat. 

Meat in general contains a large proportion of water, — 
that of the adult animal rather less than that of the young. 
Thus, the lean calf has from 78 to 80 per cent, of water in its 
tissues, while the ox has only 74 to 76 per cent. If the animals 
have been fattened, however, their meat contains less water. 
This high water content alone is sufficient to prove the fact 
that not much that is nourishing is left in meat. 

The valuable constituent of the meat is the muscle fiber. 
This is not very readily attacked by the gastric juices, since 
it is surrounded by a covering layer of connective tissue and 
fat. In the process of cooking, the connective tissue is trans- 
formed into a gelatinous substance, and digestion is thus 
facilitated. In addition to the albumin the fat which is ab- 
sorbed with meat is also a very important constituent, for the 
nutritive value of meat is enormously increased thereby; in 
taking fatty meats such as pork and goose meat, a large 
number of calories are introduced into the bodv. In the fol- 



1 

t 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. Ill 

lowing table are shown the nutritive values of the various 
kinds of meat, as well as the percentages in which they are 
assimilated in the body. By the aid of this table we are enabled 
to distinguish the most valuable of the meat foods. Persons 
having a tendency to obesity should avoid those meats which 
contain the largest amounts of fat. 

Nutritive Value and Percentage of Assimilation of 
Certain Kinds of Meat.* 



Kinds of meat. 



Beef, lean 

Veal, lean . . . 
Lamb, fat . . . 
Chicken, lean 
Chicken, fat . 
Goose, fat . . . 

Squab 

Pork, lean . . . 

Pork, fat 

Rabbit, fat... 

Hare 

Venison 



Nitrogen 


Fat 


content. 


content. 


Per cent . 


Per cent. 


20.50 


2.80 


20.00 


1.00 


16.81 


27.00 


19.72 


1.32 


18.49 


9.34 


15.91 


45.59 


22.44 


1.00 


20.10 


6.30 


14.50 


37.30 


20.47 


9.76 


23.34 


1.13 


19.80 


1.90 



Nitrogen 


Fat assim- 


assimilated. 


ilated. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


19.99 


2.66 


19.50 


0.95 


16.43 


26.65 


19.23 


1.27 


18.03 


8.87 


15.51 


41.31 


21.59 


0.95 


19.60 


5.91 


2o!93 


'9.17 


22.76 


1.07 


19.40 


1.40 



Calories 
contained 
in 1 kilo. 

1214 
1031 
3130 
1106 
1744 
4778 
1162 
1504 
4060 
1913 
1207 
990 



Nutritive Salts Contained in Certain Meats, 
According to E. Wolff. 2 











BJ 








12 






A 






© 

C 






•a . 







a 




O 


4 




a 




-a 


8 2 


0.3 

•3C8 


.2 







a* 


cc 


j 


S 


O 


P4 


A 


GO 





Veal 


34.40 


7.96 


1.99 


1.45 


0.24 


48.13 




0.81 


6.47 


Horseflesh . . . 


39.40 


5.64 


1.80 


3.88 


1.00 


46.74 


0.30 




6.89 


Beef 


48.91 




0.91 


2.30 


0.82 


36.08 


3.84 


2.47 


6.04 


Pork 


37.53 


4.54 


7.53 


4.83 


0.35 


44.41 






0.62 











1468. 



1 After J. Konig, "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungsmittel," ii, 

2 Cited by Albu and Neuberg, "Der Mineralstoffwechsel," p. 241. 



112 Health Through Rational Diet. 

As we may observe, the meat of the hare contains the 
most nitrogen, and consequently the largest amount of albumin. 
Usually, animals living wild show the greatest proportion of 
muscle tissue in their flesh, owing to their great muscular 
activity; they are also the least fat. While the pigeon has 22 
per cent, of albumin, the fat, lazy goose has only about 5 per 
cent. ; on the other hand, the well-fed bird has 44 per cent, of 
fat, while the pigeon has only 1 per cent. The goose, however, 
yields four and one-half times as much nourishment as the 
pigeon, though its meat has the great disadvantage of not 
being readily digested. 

The digestibility of meat depends greatly upon the man- 
ner in which it is cooked. When the elastic fibers and con- 
nective tissue surrounding the most nutritive elements have 
been converted into "a gelatinous substance by the cooking, the 
digestive fluids are better able to act upon them. When meat 
is suddenly subjected to a great heat, the albumin is coagulated. 
If it be placed in water which is boiling, very little of the 
taste-bearing substances and of the albumin are extracted. 
When roasted it becomes covered with a brownish crust, which 
prevents the escape of the juices ; so that meat prepared in this 
way tastes very good. 

Steaming, in which a gradual heating occurs, is also ad- 
vantageous ; here, again, very little of the extractive substances 
are lost, since it is mainly the steam and not the hot water 
which cooks the meat. This process of steaming is one which 
is worthy of being much more frequently used than has been 
the case. In broiling directly over the fire, all the tasty con- 
stituents are likewise retained, but it may happen that the open 
fire will not soften the inner portions of the meat, and that 
the connective tissue will not be cooked through, thus render- 
ing the meat more indigestible. With the broiling of chicken, 
however, in which there is but little connective tissue, this 
objection cannot be made. The digestibility of meat may be 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 113 



enhanced through its preparation in an inviting manner. If it 
is placed over the fire in cold water, and then cooked slowly, 
all the flavoring substances are extracted, and consequently but 
little digestive fluid is secreted, and the digestion is not well 
carried on. Raw meat is the most easily digested, but it must 
first have been well pounded, and then scraped or finely 
chopped. According to Jesser, 1 ioo grams of raw meat disap- 
pear from the stomach in two hours, when half-boiled in two 
and one-half hours, when well boiled in three hours ; if meat is 
half-roasted, three hours are required for the digestion, and, 
if well roasted, four hours. 

Meat, in general, is very readily digested, and is well 
assimilated. Rauhe, of the 2 kilograms of meat used in his 
experiments, decomposed 1080 grams, and, in the experiments 
of Rubner 2 with quantities considerably over 1 kilogram, only 
about 5 per cent, of the dry substance and less than 3 per cent, 
of the nitrogen were excreted with the feces. 

In regard to the assimilation of certain meats, the experi- 
ments of UfTelmann showed that pork was the poorest in this 
respect (with about 6 per cent, loss of the albumin) ; next 
came old beef (about 5 per cent, loss), and the best was venison 
(only 2y 2 per cent. loss). 

A certain influence in respect to the taste and ease of 
digestion of meat is exerted by allowing the latter to hang for 
a while, whereby, in very much the same manner as with 
vegetable foods, a kind of acid fermentation- occurs in virtue 
of which the meat fibers become more tender, and are also 
softened by the small quantities of pepsin contained in the 
muscle tissue. If the meat hangs for too long a time, however, 
and is not kept at a very low temperature, putrefaction may 
set in, and, strange to say, most people love wild game the 
best, when it already has such a strong odor that it might be 

1 Jesser: Zeitschrift fur Biologie, 1885, p. 129. 

2 Rubner: Archiv fur Anat. und Physiologie, 1862, p. 311. 

8 



114 Health Through Rational Diet. 



£>' 



termed a stench. Americans of the wealthy classes prefer meat 
which has been kept hanging for a long time, and while I was 
staying in New York I was told that the guests of one of the 
very best hotels liked most to eat meat which had been hanging 
up for about six weeks. 

In no other country is it customary to keep meat so long 
in cold storage as in America. The cattle is brought from the 
distant prairies to Chicago, is there slaughtered, and the meat 
afterward sent to all parts in special railroad cars with cold- 
storage chambers. In the cities where the meat is used it is 
also kept in cold storage. For fourteen days the meat keeps 
very well in this way, as far as the taste is concerned, as was 
found by Wiley, of the experimental laboratories of the United 
States Government. After that time it begins to lose its taste. 
Personally, I found that such meat tasted very good in the 
eastern part of the United States, while in Florida and in 
Texas, as well as in Los Angeles in California, it was very 
tasteless. By the time the meat had reached these places remote 
from Chicago, it had, after being kept on ice for a long time, 
lost all taste. Such meat is never juicy, and a great deal of 
butter must be used, in order to obtain a satisfactory amount 
of gravy. True, the meat which is transported — and afterward 
kept — in the cold-storage chambers does not taste at all badly, 
and that which is now sent from the Argentine Republic to 
Austria is said to be very good. It is quite different, however, 
with frozen meats. When meat lies upon the ice, all the taste- 
bearing elements are drawn out of it. In my travels in the 
far West of the Union, I often noticed how a negro waiter 
would take the meat from an icebox under the restaurant car, 
and it was certainly not surprising that such meat, which had 
already been kept for some time in cold storage, had absolutely 
no taste. In many parts of the United States and in Canada 
meat is kept frozen for some time, and while I was the guest 
of a family in Ottawa at Easter, 1907, we ate a caribou (a sort 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 115 

of elk, which is found in Canada) which had been shot six 
months before. Two days later we ate a turkey which had 
been killed in October, and had been kept frozen since that 
time. The meat was quite yellow and dry, and absolutely 
tasteless. Such meat must be eaten immediately after it has 
been thawed out, for just as soon as it is kept in a higher 
temperature it putrefies ; in the thawing process the ice particles 
burst the tissues and the bacteria find a ready entrance. The 
moisture which covers the meat when it thaws also contains 
a large quantity of the bacteria of decomposition. Meat can 
be kept frozen for thousands of years and still be used as food. 
Thus, the mammoths found in northern Siberia by the explorers 
often formed a welcome food for these travelers and their 
dogs. 

In order that meat may be kept a long! time, it is often 
salted, pickled, or smoked. Meat treated in this way is only 
satisfactory when no fresh or cold-storage meat is to be had. 
Smoked meat is sometimes better digested than ordinary meat, 
but the salted varieties, owing to their great salt content, are 
not to be recommended if the kidneys are in any way diseased. 
However, these meats are always to be preferred to the canned 
varieties, for very frequently antiseptic substances, which may 
prove injurious, are added to these, and usually, too, the meat 
of very lean animals is used for this purpose. The substances 
which are frequently added to meats to preserve their color 
and appearance include borax, boric acid, salicylic acid, etc. 
All these agents, even in minimal quantities, are injurious upon 
long-continued use, although after the use of certain of them 
in dogs no harmful results were noticed. The general health 
may gradually be unfavorably influenced when they are in- 
gested over long periods, even though such effects do not at 
once follow after they have been taken either once or for some 
weeks. The majority of the diseases with which mankind is 
afflicted usually creep in through the accumulated effects of 



116 Health Through Rational Diet. 

successive slight irritations, by the operation of apparently 
insignificant factors which are just sufficient to take part in 
some chemical reaction. 

A remarkable thing about this is the fact that these added 
chemical substances may be injurious to the organism, and, 
yet, have not the power to destroy the poisons of pathogenic 
bacteria ; this is also the case with the other preserved varieties 
of meat, that is, the salted, pickled, and smoked kinds. They 
may, however, prevent putrefaction and unpleasant odors. It 
is here to be mentioned, as we have previously stated, that in 
persons in whom the gastric juice is normal the germs of 
decomposition in the meat will not work any noticeable in- 
jury, and it frequently happens that decayed meat is taken with- 
out causing any great harm. Count von Pappenheim, in his 
interesting work en Madagascar, states that he has seen Hovas 
dig out and eat the meat of an ox which had died some days 
before; the meat was already quite green in color, but it did 
not have any bad effect, as they were not in the least ill. The 
gypsies living in Hungary often eat decayed meat without its 
causing any injury. Finally, we must observe that if decayed 
meat were to cause harm or to make us ill at once very few of 
the people who are compelled by circumstances always to eat 
in restaurants, and to stop while traveling in hotels of a lower 
order, could live at all. To be sure, meat is carefully examined 
in the markets, but no jurisdiction controls the question as to 
how long the meat is kept in some of the smaller hotels (we 
do not, of course, presume to generalize) after it has been 
cooked for the first time. One person may not be in the least 
affected by it, the next may escape with an attack of diarrhea, 
but, more often than is suspected, such products may injure the 
fine epithelia of the kidneys and the liver. Moreover, there 
may sometimes be developed in the meat — usually in chopped 
meats and sausage — products of the decomposing action of 
certain bacteria, toxalbumins, which are very injurious, and 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 117 

may prove fatal. While I was spending two weeks in St. 
Louis, four years ago, in the winter, several deaths occurred 
as the result of the eating of chickens which had been preserved 
for a long time ; among others, a woman and her children died 
from this cause. 

The bacteria of various diseases in animals often do not 
appear to cause any illness in man when the meat containing 
them is eaten. This is probably due to the cooking and the 
action of the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Hutchison 
states that shepherds in Scotland ate for a long time the meat 
of sick sheep without being at all harmed, and Delcroix, of 
Paris, twenty-five years ago, gave to the poor the meat of sick 
animals, and even that of a dead dog, — the beneficiaries knew 
nothing concerning the origin of this food, — and no* injurious 
results occurred. On the other hand, various authors report 
cases of fatal poisoning due to the meat of animals in which 
the spleen was diseased. 

Many of the poisonous effects of meat may perhaps be 
ascribed to certain substances which the animals have eaten, 
such as poisonous herbs. It is an undisputed fact that the 
taste of meat is influenced by the food ingested by the animals. 
The best-tasting meat is that of cattle fed in the open. I have 
never seen finer meat than that sold in the butcher shops in 
Holland ; this is because in that country, owing to the prevail- 
ing dampness, the grass grows most luxuriantly. In England 
and Denmark, too, very fine beef is raised. Cattle thrive best 
and furnish the finest meat in a temperate climate, as in the 
Argentine Republic and the northern portion of the United 
States. In the South the meat is less good. The cattle do 
much better, indeed, in the northern than in the southern 
part of Texas. In southern regions where it is very dry, as on 
the Riviera, in the south of Spain, in California, etc., equally 
fine beef cannot be had. The taste of meat is also improved 
by castration. Thus, a Styrian capon has a fine taste, as do 



118 Health Through Rational Diet. 

also the castrated chickens of Philadelphia. It is of the great- 
est importance that animals intended for our use should be 
carefully fed and bred. When animals are fed upon husks, 
beer-mash, etc., good meat cannot be expected. A chicken 
bought from a farmer has nothing much to commend it, but 
when it has been fed upon grain for one or two weeks, and in 
addition kept in so small a cage that the only movement it can 
make is to stretch out its neck to pick up its food, as is done in 
Belgium, it becomes very tasty, and is likewise very nourishing. 
In animals kept in the open air, especially sheep, the meat has 
a much more agreeable odor than is the case with those always 
housed up in stables. 

In addition to the albumin and fat, meat also contains ap- 
preciable amounts of some very important nutritive salts ; thus, 
42.50 per cent, of phosphorus and 40.3 per cent, of potash are 
contained in the ashes. There is also quite an amount of iron, 
but, taking it all in all, meat is not a food which contains a 
large quantity of nutrient salts; it is greatly surpassed by 
vegetables in this respect. 

Of the various meats, beef is that which is chiefly used. 
While opinions are about evenly divided as to whether beef or 
veal is the more easily digested, I am inclined to give the pref- 
erence to veal. It is more tender than beef. Of course, it 
is necessary that the calf should be properly fed ; when it is fed 
upon milk, the meat is very white and fine. With regard to the 
uric-acid-forming substances, veal probably contains rather 
more of the nucleins than beef ; but when it is boiled, a greater 
proportion of the extractive substances passes out into the soup 
than is the case with beef. When veal is eaten roasted, espec- 
ially the outer crusty portions, as in the roasted breast of veal, 
with the usual trimmings, it is likely to prove more injurious 
in regard to the uric-acid-forming properties than beef. 

As a rule, for delicate persons and those suffering from 
various chronic affections, as well as for convalescents, veal is 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 119 

to be recommended in preference to beef, and during the cure 
at Carlsbad veal and chicken form very important elements of 
the diet. Lamb is much more indigestible, solely on account 
of its especial kind of fat, which has a very high melting point ; 
this peculiarity, as we have previously mentioned, affects the 
digestion very unfavorably. Lean lamb would be more readily 
digested, but it is not very easily obtained. When lamb is not 
fat, it can be recommended, and will be well digested. With 
us, lamb is not much eaten, but a great deal of it is consumed 
in England and France. In addition to beef and veal we eat 
a great deal of pork, but the greatest quantity of this meat is 
eaten by the Chinese. The hog thrives especially well in their 
country, and when Chinamen emigrate to Java they take their 
favorite animals along with them. Like the duck among birds 
and the eel among fish, the hog subsists upon a very unclean 
diet. The difference consists, however, in the fact that the hog 
cannot help itself, as it is given this food by its owner. If al- 
lowed to follow its own inclinations, the hog is a much cleaner 
animal than is generally believed, and likes to bathe itself, 
whenever this is possible. Moreover, be the food ever so 
unclean, it is in a very short time transformed by the hog's 
exceptionally efficacious gastric juice — probably the most 
powerful among all animals — into the animal's own palatable 
body substance. Certainly this much-decried beast is worthy 
of better care by its owners, and of much cleaner food. The 
meat tastes the best when the animal is fed upon corn. Re- 
cently hogs have also been fed upon meat, of which they can 
consume a considerable quantity per day, and also upon fish. 
The latter diet, however, has the disadvantage of imparting a 
rather oily taste to the pork ; for this reason no fish should be 
fed to swine for at least four weeks before they are put to 
death. Pork is a very nutritious meat, but is, unfortunately, 
quite difficult to digest, owing to its high fat content. While 
the muscles of the pig are hard to digest, lying surrounded by 



120 Health Through Rational Diet. 



fat and connective tissue, the lard or bacon is more readily 
digested than many other kinds of fat. Bacon is a very useful 
adjunct in a diet which is poor in fat, and improves both the 
nutritive value and the taste of the food. In some countries 
it is customary, for the above reasons, always to add bacon to 
beans, peas, etc., as in America (pork and beans) and in France 
(petits pois an lard). 

The most easily digested and the most highly prized food 
which we have from the hog — that animal which we only 
begin to like after it is dead — is ham. Many kinds of ham, 
such as those of Prague and of Westphalia, are world- 
renowned. Ham belongs to the class of most easily digested 
foods, and boiled Prague ham often forms an important part 
of the regime at Carlsbad. However, it is not well adapted for 
everyone ; its great advantage is its digestibility, but otherwise 
it has all the disadvantages pertaining to meat in general. 
While it is readily digested, and likewise well assimilated in 
the intestine, much uric acid is formed from its decomposition 
products, and for this reason gouty patients should never take 
ham in the morning or evening, in addition to the meat allowed 
them at midday (which, indeed, it might also be far better for 
them to avoid). No matter how good the ham tastes, and how 
difficult it is for the physician, who would like to provide an 
agreeable diet for his patients, to forbid it, it cannot be allowed. 
Patients suffering from kidney disorders should not be allowed 
to eat ham on account of the quantity of salt which it contains 
(sometimes as much as 5 per cent., though in the Prague ham 
only about 2 per cent. ) . Almost every variety of meat should 
be eaten cooked, with but very few exceptions (as, for instance, 
scraped raw beef, from a healthy animal, in tuberculosis), but 
nowhere is this rule of greater importance than in the case of 
pork, owing to the danger of trichinosis. The trichinae are 
very resistant, and withstand both the action of heat and the 
smoking process. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 121 

The meat of the chicken may probably be regarded as the 
most tender and most easily digested meat. The connective 
tissue is not present to the same extent as in beef, nor is there 
as much fat as in pork. The albumin contained in the breast 
meat of the chicken — the portion most to be recommended, 
though possibly not the most savory one — is fully exposed to 
the action of the gastric juices. This breast meat is the rep- 
resentative in the chicken of white meats in general, and, in 
order that it should contain plenty of the albumin, so necessary 
to convalescents for the reconstruction of their body tissues, 
the fowl should not be left to nourish itself upon worms, but 
should be fed upon grain, which is rich in nitrogen. Young, 
tender chickens are best digested, although they have not quite 
as much flavor; soup is best made from a full-grown fowl. 
The best tasting part of the chicken is the second joint, but 
only when the animal has been well fattened. 

The turkey has some very excellent white meat. This 
bird had its origin in the United States (its long, curved beak 
somewhat resembles the, nose of the Indians). In fact, it is 
also called "Indian" in some parts of Austria, especially in 
Croatia, where it is raised in large numbers. Its French name, 
"Coq d'Inde" has been applied to it owing to the fact. that, 
when, in the seventeenth century, the Jesuits brought this bird 
from America to raise it in France at their farm near Bourges, 
America was still called "The West Indies." There is no 
animal which is slaughtered in such numbers at all festive 
seasons in the United States as the turkey, and in particular 
just before "Thanksgiving Day" there is a veritable hecatomb 
of these fowls. Nowhere in the world, either, can such fine 
turkey be enjoyed while traveling as in the Pullman dining 
cars in the United States, where the negro cook prepares it in 
a particularly excellent way. In the West, unfortunately, it 
often does not taste as good, because it is less fresh and has 
been lying on the ice for a long time. The meat of the turkey 



122 Health Through Rational Diet. 



is more nourishing than that of chicken; it has about 2 per 
cent, more albumin and is much richer in fat than chicken. 

The meat of the pheasant greatly resembles that of the 
turkey in nature and appearance. Next to that of the wood- 
cock, it is probably the most delicious meat of all. It is fine 
and white, very rich in albumin, and easily digested ; although, 
in the latter respect, chicken must take precedence over it. The 
very fine flavor of the pheasant's meat may be due to the fact 
that it lives in the open, in young forests and clearings. Owing 
to its free life in the open air, and because of the often aromat- 
ically flavored food which it finds in the meadows and woods, 
the pheasant's meat possesses a fine flavor and aroma. The 
meats of the partridge, heathcock, and wild duck also have an 
excellent taste. The meat of the young partridge especially is 
easily digested; that of the duck, on the other hand, is much 
less advantageous in this respect. In Holland very excellent 
wild-duck meat is to be had. Ducks seem to thrive especially 
well in Holland, where in the little city of Vollendam, which 
has only 3000 inhabitants, there are 800,000 ducks. The 
duck's meat is dark-colored; the muscle tissue is very compact, 
and consequently rather hard to digest. Duck is not to be 
recommended for feeble stomachs; the fat it contains tastes 
good, but does not increase the digestibility. By virtue of its 
content of albumin, that important nutritive substance, duck 
meat is, nevertheless, recommendable as a food substance, al- 
though we cannot precisely call it hygienic because of the fre- 
quently very unclean habits of the bird (which might be termed 
the hog of the feathered tribe), as also because of the inhuman 
way in which this fowl is often killed. While speaking of 
inhuman practices, we may as well take the opportunity to 
condemn as emphatically as possible the habit of the people of 
southern France, and many other southern countries, of eating 
small birds, and singing birds at that, — those little beings 
which charm us with their song, and besides make themselves 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 123 

useful by eating the insects which are harmful to our growing 
vegetable-food products. What can be found so good in these 
tiny creatures which contain so little nutriment is incompre- 
hensible to me. A larger bird, such as the pigeon, is much 
more nourishing, has a tender, easily digested meat, and is 
often eaten at health resorts, as with us in Carlsbad. It con- 
tains more albumin than the majority of the other commonly 
eaten birds ; very much more than the chicken and the turkey, 
though rather less than the duck. It is the poorest in fat be- 
cause, as we have already stated, being a rapid-flying bird, it 
makes much greater use of its muscles than do the other birds 
which we usually eat, and consequently does not lay on much 
fat. On the other hand, it contains the most sugar in the form 
of glycogen in its breast muscles, as shown by the researches 
of van't Hofr, as this substance is required for the mechanical 
work of flying. The pigeon, indeed, affords an instructive 
illustration of the manner in which the muscles gain in bulk 
and also in albumin content, as well as of the loss of fat in the 
arm of the laborer who handles heavy weights. 

The greatest amount of fat, among all the birds, is to be 
found in the lazy goose. A very large amount of fat is often 
present under its skin, but only a limited quantity of muscle 
tissue. For this reason the goose, not only among birds, but 
among meats in general, contains almost the smallest quantity 
of albumin. Its nutritive value, therefore, depends upon its 
fat. Since, however, the fat surrounds the muscles, the 
albumin is digested with difficulty, — and all the more so be- 
cause the muscle tissue belongs to the class of dark meats and 
the flesh has a very firm structure. A very useful portion of 
the goose's body is the liver ; the Strasburg goose-liver patties 
are world-renowned. The ancient Egyptians, as has been 
stated by Wilkinson in his work describing their customs, were 
very fond of roast goose, which was never omitted from their 
festive meals, and it is possible that the preference of the Jews 



124 Health Through Rational Diet. 



for these birds dates back to the time of their stay in Egypt. 
On the whole, goose is a fit food only for excellent stomachs. 
In fact, the same may be said of game in general. Game 
generally furnishes a hard, tough meat, much tougher than 
beef, and to make it more tender it is generally hung up for a 
time, as is also done with the pheasant, which must be allowed 
to hang for about eight days, until the meat becomes soft; the 
meat of the hen-pheasant, in particular, gets quite tender and 
is easily digested. Since the same procedure is resorted to with 
game in general, as with the pheasant, it is called in France 
"faisander" The long period of hanging allows decomposi- 
tion processes to be set up, acids are formed, and the meat 
fibers become softer and more readily digested. Meat treated 
in this way cannot, however, be considered a healthy food, 
for, while it may not cause any direct injury to the stomach, 
the decomposition products engendered are injurious to the 
intestines and, after their absorption in the body, to the organ- 
ism in general. Although some persons may greatly relish 
such meat, and not notice any unpleasant after-result, with the 
exception, perhaps, of diarrhea, nevertheless, such a habit may 
be the starting point of some disease process. We must here 
again call attention to the fact that the results of certain dis- 
ease-producing agencies are very often not felt at the start, 
but are only noticed when more fully developed, possibly al- 
ready too late to permit of an absolute cure being attained. 
Care must be taken with game not to allow the blood of the 
animal to run out, as is the case with our domestic animals, in 
particular because these wild animals have often been chased 
and hounded before death, and are not in the same condition 
as those well rested immediately before slaughter. With hares 
it often happens, especially with us and in Germany, that the 
bladder is not promptly emptied, and consequently its contents 
impart an unpleasant taste to the meat; in Belgium and in 
France this matter is at once attended to by the hunter. Hare- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 125 

meat, particularly when the animal is still young, is truly a 
"tid-bit," and it is therefore not difficult to understand the 
eulogy of Martial : — 

"Inter quadrupedes gloria prima lepus." 

The meat of the hare, owing to its high albumin content, 
forms a very nutritive food, like that of the deer, which is 
also not difficult to digest when the animal is still young (not 
over 2 years). Probably the best-tasting meat among the 
four-footed game is that of the wild boar, as I have frequently 
had the opportunity to convince myself. Another easily di- 
gested meat is that of young rabbits, which are unfortunately 
sometimes replaced in large cities by cats, — though, while yet 
living, these two species of animals do not get on at all well 
together ! 

2. Concerning Slaughter Wastes, Sausages, and the 
Value of Blood-pudding. 

Certain organs of the body are possessed of high nutritive 
value and characterized by their content of useful substances 
such as phosphorus and lecithin. The liver is an organ belong- 
ing to this class. Its tissues contain a large quantity of carbo- 
hydrates, while meat in general, with the exception of horse- 
meat, contains only minimal quantities of the carbohydrates. 
The liver contains much albumin and, in comparison with 
other meats, much carbohydrate and also much fat. There is 
a large amount of lecithin in the liver, especially in that of 
fattened animals, such as the goose; in this respect the Stras- 
burg liver pie is a valuable article of food. According to the 
reports made, we must regard the liver as a valuable phos- 
phorus-containing food. The liver of young animals is more 
easily digested than that of older ones, which contains con- 
siderable amounts of connective tissue difficult of digestion. 
In addition to the phosphorus in the liver, there is another 



126 Health Through Rational Diet. 



nutritive mineral, iron, which occurs in noteworthy quantities, 
especially in young animals. 

The brain is another organ which is very rich in phos- 
phorus, lecithin, and other similar substances. As a food 
substance it is characterized by a considerable content of fat, 
but it is nonetheless not hard to digest. It is well borne by the 
stomach, but, according to the experiments of Rubner, is only 
incompletely assimilated. 

The kidneys have a very agreeable taste, especially lamb 
kidneys; these are not much used with us, but in England, 
more particularly, find much favor at the breakfast table. 
They are also nutritious, because they contain albumin and 
fat. Nevertheless, the kidneys, as well as liver and brain, have 
the disadvantage of being very rich in nucleins as well as in 
uric-acid-forming substances; the brain contains the least of 
these, the kidneys much more, while the kidneys and the pan- 
creas (sweetbread) contain the most nuclein. The organ from 
which the greatest amount of uric acid is formed in the body 
is the pancreas (sweetbread) of the calf. According to my 
experiments, it has been shown that after these organs have 
been eaten by diabetics sugar will be very readily secreted or 
the amount previously excreted will be increased. Conse- 
quently patients suffering from gout or diabetes should not eat 
these organs. 

The bones may serve for the preparation of soup, or for 
the manufacture of glue. Their most important constituent 
is the marrow. This is very rich in fat, and contains nearly as 
much as butter; it is also rich in nutritive salts. Since the 
marrow plays an important part in the formation of the blood, 
that taken from young animals might form a useful food in 
chlorotic conditions. With this end in view foods are also 
industrially compounded from this substance. The marrow is 
also rich in lecithin and phosphorus, which still further in- 
creases its value. It is, however, rather hard to digest, and 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 127 

is therefore not indicated as a food along with the usual diet, 
nor should it be taken alone, in large quantities; it is rather 
intended to be used in connection with less nutritious sub- 
stances and, more particularly, soup. 

Sausage in general is also very rich in fat, and it is just 
this fat content, together with the albumin contained in it, 
which places it in the list of the most nourishing foods ; owing 
to its fatty contents, however, it is not easily digested, and the 
strong flavoring with pepper, garlic, and paprica adds to the 
difficulty. After having eaten highly flavored sausage, it very 
often happens that eructations occur some hours later. Sau- 
sage is made of various refuse substances from the slaughter- 
houses, such as the lungs, liver, heart, etc., all of which are 
forced into the protecting skin, which is too thick for us to see 
through, so that we can never tell what is inside. How right 
was old Father Cats when he said of sausage : — 

"Wie Worste kouwt, 
en weduwe trouwt, 
die weet niet wat daar is ingedouwd." 

(Literal translation: "He who eats sausage, and has faith 
in widows, does not know what they are hiding.") Although 
we do not fully agree with him in respect to the widows, as 
far as the sausage is concerned we never know what we have 
to deal with until, as Robert Hutchison so truly says, "we have 
eaten it up," and it is just for this reason that we consider 
sausage as an unhygienic food, and partially also because it 
contains such a considerable quantity of condiments. The 
fact that it is also frequently made from horse- and mule- meat 
would not, of itself, make it unhealthy, but the use of meat that 
is unfit, spoiled, and injurious does make it so. Sausage often 
contains very harmful poisons, which cause the much-dreaded 
cases of sausage poisoning. When the meat has been stuffed 
into the sausages it cannot well be inspected to find out whether 
it is fresh or otherwise. This might perhaps be detected by the 



128 Health Through Rational Diet. 

sense of smell were it not for the fact that any bad odor is 
pretty well disguised by various ingredients which have been 
added to the meat, and which are often injurious. It is neces- 
sary to be exceedingly careful when buying sausage. Only the 
very best quality should be used, if one does not wish to harm 
the stomach. The most useful among the various varieties of 
sausage is blood-pudding, for reasons which have already been 
given in my work on "Old Age Deferred." 1 I may merely 
say here that blood forms a very strengthening food substance, 
owing to the quantity of albumin it contains. According to 
Konig, 2 blood-pudding or sausage contains 11.81 per cent, 
nitrogenous matter in the original form, and pretty nearly the 
same amount of fat, together with 25 per cent, of extractive 
substance free from nitrogen; in the dry substance it contains 
24 per cent, of nitrogenous material and 22 per cent, of fat. 
Blood is an important nutritive substance owing to its content 
in important nutritive salts, like iron; this is especially true of 
pigs' blood, from which blood-pudding is usually made. Ac- 
cording to Bunge, it contains more iron than any other food 
substance ; 100 grams of pigs' blood, he says, contain 226 mg. 
of iron. The quantity of lecithin in pigs' blood is also not 
inconsiderable ; according to Abderhalden, 0.231 per cent. The 
content of protective substances in the blood is also important, 
as well as that of the secretions from the internal glands, the 
thyroid, adrenals, etc., which are carried into the blood. We 
might still add that fresh blood-pudding is not difficult to 
digest and is a healthful food; and since, as we have said, it 
contains organic secretions, it is an organotherapeutic curative 
agent. According to the investigations of Bessau and Schmidt, 
in regard to the purin contents of various foods, blood-pudding 
is characterized by the fact that no purin is contained therein, 



1 Chapter on "The Blood of Animals as an Iron-containing Food, 
and as an Organotherapeutic Remedy." 

2 Konig : i, S. 76. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 129 

and consequently it does not facilitate the formation of uric 
acid. The ingestion of blood-pudding is especially indicated 
in anemic, chlorotic girls and women, who would not need to 
buy manufactured preparations of iron when they can have 
in this food a most useful organic iron preparation which is 
nourishing as well. In Scandinavia some very inviting, good- 
tasting dishes are prepared from blood-pudding, with the ad- 
dition of flour, barley, and raisins. 

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Meat Extracts 
and Meat Soups. 

Various nations, like the Abyssinians, are accustomed to 
eat their meat raw. On certain days great festivals are held 
(Brunde) and very great quantities of raw meat are eaten. 
These people afterward are very much excited and as if in- 
toxicated, as has been stated by Johnston, who has traveled 
through vast regions in southern Abyssinia. Dundas Thomp- 
son writes in the same way concerning an Indian tribe which 
usually eats vegetable food, but which at a festive meal ate, in 
his presence, much raw meat. About one or two hours later 
they seemed to be greatly intoxicated by the meat. We must 
conclude, from these observations, that the ingestion of large 
quantities of raw meat exerts a very stimulating action upon 
the nervous system. Druitt reports similar effects. He found 
that the use of a fluid extract which he prepared from raw 
meat had, after a short time, a very stimulating action upon 
the brain. These exciting effects may also be observed after 
the use of Liebig's meat extract. 

Explorers, after traveling in regions where no meat was 
to be had, have often reported the very valuable services ren- 
dered by the use of such meat extracts in connection with their 
otherwise exclusively vegetable diet, and what an exhilarating 
effect it had upon them. As a matter of fact, the substances 



130 Health Through Rational Diet. 

obtained from the meat which are contained in such an ex- 
tract are the same as those found in raw meat, which, as 
stated above, has such a stimulating action. The substances 
which produce this enlivening effect upon the nervous system 
are the potash salts and the meat bases. The exhilarating 
action is, to be sure, followed, as is usually the case with 
stimulants, by a depressed condition; but this only occurs, as 
in the case of the latter, when too much raw meat has been 
taken. 

All these substances are eliminated from the meat, which 
contains a considerable amount of fluid, during the process of 
cooking ; they are fairly washed out and the meat is absolutely 
soaked out, especially when it is put in cold water, and is then 
gradually heated and boiled. The fluid and soluble portions of 
the meat are extracted, but they have very little, if any, 
nourishing value. Of the albumin only a very small quantity 
is withdrawn, and this is then skimmed off, so that it is entirely 
lost. When y* kilo of beef and 189 grams of veal bones are 
boiled, 543 c.c. of soup is obtained, as found by Konig, which 
contains 1.19 per cent, of albumin, 1.40 per cent, of fat, 1.83 
per cent, of the other extractive substances, 0.152 per cent, of 
potash salts, and 0.089 per cent, of phosphoric acid. We thus 
see that potash salts and phosphoric acid are present in not 
inconsiderable quantities, in a soluble and easily absorbed form. 
According to Konig, 50 per cent, of the extractive substances 
and 80 per cent, of the nutritive salts are found in the soup. 
In the ash, Konig states, will be found 30 per cent, of phos- 
phoric acid, 42 per cent, potash, 0.2 per cent, oxide of iron, 
and considerable common salt, about 9.63 per cent. The ex- 
tractive substances are creatin, creatinin, xanthin, guanin, 
sarcin, etc., and also small quantities of urea, uric acid, etc. 
The quantity of these extractive substances and the taste of 
the soup and juice depend upon the quality of the meat, its 
origin, and the mode of death. The meat of full-grown 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 131 

animals is the best for this purpose, and an old chicken will 
make a much better meat soup than a young one. Veal, on 
the other hand, owing to its tender fibers, will more readily 
give off its juices, as has been stated by Max Adler; conse- 
quently, veal puree and veal soup contain more extractive sub- 
stances. It is most natural that the fresh raw meat of an 
animal raised in the fertile meadows of northern Texas or 
Nebraska, or in the pampas of the Argentine Republic, would 
give a much better juice than that of animals feeding on our 
poor meadows, although some of the European pastures, espe- 
cially the Hungarian and Dutch, as well as the English, furnish 
a very good tasting and fine quality of meat. However, in no 
part of the world are such great numbers of exceptionally 
fine cattle raised as in the Argentine Republic. Here, meat is 
so plentiful that the Chaco Indians and the Gauchos feed almost 
exclusively upon it. While Sir Henry Head was, in the early 
part of the last century, riding across the unbounded pampas 
on horseback, for weeks at a time, he lived entirely on meat 
and water, and he affirmed 1 that he never in his life felt so fresh 
and well. Had Sir Henry adhered to this diet for a longer 
time, and had he not been most of the time in the saddle, and 
consequently getting plenty of exercise, he would probably, 
later on, not have escaped the gout, which so frequently oc- 
curs among the meat-eating people of his country. 

It is, therefore, not a matter of surprise that Liebig con- 
ceived the idea of utilizing this great abundance of meat, which 
he believed to be a necessity, in view of the many people 
suffering from meat famine in many parts of Europe. He 
built factories and started the wholesale manufacture of the 
Liebig meat extract, which, he states, is obtained by the with- 
drawal of the juices from fresh meat which is chopped up, 
after having been freed from fat and tendons, and is then 
placed in hot water. The solution obtained is first filtered, and 

1 After Pavy. 



132 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



afterward evaporated in large vats to the consistency of a thick 
syrup. He adds 8 to 10 times the quantity of water to the 
meat, which is boiled for half an hour. According to Liebig, 
30 pounds of lean beef are required to make one pound of 
meat extract. 

We shall now show the chemical composition of certain 
varieties of meat extract. 

According to Konig, 1 Liebig's meat extract contains: — 

17.70 per cent, water. 

61.04 per cent, organic substances. 

9.17 per cent, nitrogen — total. 

0.36 per cent, insoluble and coagulable proteins. 

6.01 per cent, albumoses. 

0.59 per cent, ammonia. 

59.08 per cent, various nitrogenous compounds. 
21.46 per cent, nutritive salts. 

8.98 per cent, potash. 

7.75 per cent, phosphoric acid. 

3.99 per cent, common salt. 

According to Flehner, 2 certain meat extracts are composed 
as follows : — 











c/5 






9) 


u 


ft 




a 
1 
.a 
< 


a> 
O 

3 




a 
< 


0> 

a 


1 

flu 


eft 


15.26 


0.34 


5.18 




2.12 


2.01 


8.06 


39.30 


15.97 
54.53 


0.21 
0.10 


3.31 
0.75 






1.75 
2.00 


5.13 
2.87 


41.12 
12.48 


0.25 




28.34 


1.07 


4.56 


5.37 




8.38 


3.18 


19.38 



Liebig's ex- 
tract , 

Armour's ex- 
tract , 

Valentine's 
meat juice 

Bovril fluid 
meat juice 



28.31 
29.36 
12.01 
17.67 



When a certain quantity of water is added to these meat 
extracts, a good soup can be made. With one-quarter of a 
pound of Liebig's extract, it is said that as much bouillon can 



1 Konig : ii, S. 55. 

2 Flehner : Quoted after Duncan. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 133 

be made as could be obtained from 8 to 9 pounds of bones and 
fat-free beef. 

Now, as to the value of meat soups and meat extracts, I 
would, in consequence of their stimulating action, be inclined 
to consider them, as the other stimulants, alcohol, etc., as a 
sort of medicine, and as such they have an excellent effect. 
They may be, as has often been suggested, mixed with and 
taken in tea, whereby the exciting and exhilarating effect is 
increased. Avicenna already recommended meat soups after 
great exertion, and in conditions of exhaustion in general 
Convalescents and invalids will be benefited by a cup of good 
bouillon, or by the addition of meat extract to an otherwise 
weak bouillon. They do not obtain nourishment from this, 
but are stimulated, and often feel somewhat stronger. 

The resisting capacity of such weak persons against in- 
fections in general is thus increased, according to a series of 
experiments. Richet, in experimenting on dogs, found that 
raw meat was very efficacious as a preventive of infection by 
tuberculosis. This property is, on the, other hand, entirely 
absent in the case of cooked meat, which no longer has any 
extractive, substances, and from which soup cannot be made. 
Together with the juice of the meat, certain protective sub- 
stances which are found in the blood are also extracted, as well 
as the products of the ductless glands, particularly the thyroid, 
which has an important immunizing action against all kinds of 
infections — a subject I have fully explained in my work on 
"Old Age Deferred." I have also shown (at the Tuberculosis 
Congress in Paris, 1905) that the thyroid plays an important 
role against contagion in tuberculosis. It is precisely this 
stimulating action of the juice of the raw meat upon the thyroid 
which probably causes the excitant effect upon the nerves, for, 
as we have already seen, the thyroid is one of the most im- 
portant regulators of the nervous system, and a diseased 
condition of this gland always causes changes in this system. 



134 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Another effect produced by meat soups and meat extracts 
in general is a very powerful stimulation of the digestive func- 
tions, as has been shown through the researches of Pawlow. 
When there is a lack of appetite, probably no medicinal agent 
is more effective in stimulating it than a good cup of bouillon 
taken just before eating. A further action of the meat soups 
is the diuretic effect due to the meat extracts contained therein, 
which causes a rapid elimination of considerable quantities of 
urea. This no doubt stands in causal relation to the increase 
of blood-pressure induced by the meat extracts. These ex- 
tracts undoubtedly exert an irritating action during their pass- 
age through the kidneys ; hence, meat juices or soups also have 
an injurious action, and should only be given to persons with 
sound kidneys. Owing to the fact that they increase the blood- 
pressure, meat extracts and bouillon may exert a very prej- 
udicial effect in cases of arteriosclerosis. For such persons, 
who usually already have a high blood-pressure, the use of 
meat bouillons is not indicated, as, otherwise, the process of 
arteriosclerosis may be favored. In consequence of its stimu- 
lating action upon the thyroid gland, the use of meat extracts 
when this organ is diseased may bring about most injurious 
effects, and should not be allowed; it is for this reason, too, 
that in advanced age, a state primarily to be ascribed to a 
degeneration of the thyroid gland, the use of meat extracts 
should be avoided. This is all the more necessary since the 
kidneys and liver have also undergone more or less degenera- 
tive alterations. In advanced age, a glass of milk should be 
preferred to a cup of bouillon; whether, however, the former 
will be equally well liked is a question. In my experience, I 
have found that old people usually have an instinctive aversion 
for bloody meats, and sometimes also for bouillon. Nature 
often warns man in this way against injurious foods. For 
patients suffering from diseases of the liver, the use of meat 
extracts should be strictly prohibited, for we have learned from 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 135 

the experiments of Pawlow that it is just these extractive sub- 
stances of the meat which have such a harmful action when 
derived from the circulation by the liver, which is obliged to 
destroy the poisons they contain. When the liver is diseased, 
it is unable to do this. That gouty and diabetic patients will 
not be benefited by bouillon will have been understood from 
the previous chapter. While, thus, in certain diseases, meat 
soups are not indicated, when taken occasionally by healthy 
persons, they may render good service, but we do not recom- 
mend them for daily use. 

In children, even large amounts of meat extract are not 
injurious; on the contrary, as Lehmann has shown in his ex- 
periments upon two children who had been weakened by a 
deficient diet, the taking of large quantities of meat extract 
caused a daily improvement and development. This is to be 
explained by the stimulating action of these extracts upon the 
thyroid, by which, as we have already stated in the first chapter 
of this work, growth may be stimulated ; but for healthy adults 
and for old persons we would not advocate the daily use of 
meat juices and extracts. 

4. The Advantages of Meat in Small Quantities, and 
its Disadvantages in Large Amounts. 

We would probably not be justified in going so far as to 
consider small amounts of meat as a poison, as is done by so 
many; even as quite limited quantities of alcohol should not 
be regarded as a poison. The latter may, indeed, be of some 
service to many. Meat in small amounts is not only useful, but 
is absolutely necessary for growing children. For these, espe- 
cially at the age of puberty, when the growth is stimulated, 
large amounts of albumin are necessary, in order to meet the 
requirements of the organism in regard to this substance. The 
growing child, in which the albuminous tissues are to be built 



136 Health Through Rational Diet. 

up, and the adult, who has through disease lost much of these 
tissues, require a large amount of albumin. We have seen 
that this is most readily absorbed and assimilated in the form 
of meat, especially in the cases where, owing to previous illness, 
intestinal activity is impaired. Another important circum- 
stance is greatly in favor of its use, namely, that probably in no 
food, and least of all in vegetable foods, can the most impor- 
tant component of an albuminous diet, namely, the nuclein, be 
so quickly absorbed by our bodies. This has been conclusively 
shown by the experiments of Jebbink, which have recently 
been made in Professor Salter's Institute of Chemistry in 
Amsterdam. There is probably no more important substance 
in our bodies than this very nuclein, which forms a basic por- 
tion of the cell nuclei, from the nucleoproteids of which the 
nuclein is freed during the process of digestion. 

As Aron has admirably stated, the cell-nuclei are the 
carriers of the life process, since the propagation of the cells is 
furthered by them. The very important white blood-corpus- 
cles, according to Lilienfeld, contain, in the thymus, for in- 
stance, not less than JJ per cent, of nucleoproteids in their 
dry substance. The spermatozoa necessary for the propaga- 
tion of mankind and of the lower animals as well consist, to a 
great extent, of these nucleoproteids, as their heads have a 
similar composition as that of the cell-nuclei. 

Moreover, a whole series of organs among the most im- 
portant of our bodies, as the glands of internal secretion and 
the brain, — in fact, all the glandular organs, — consist largely of 
nucleins; they are the tissues of the body most rich in this 
substance. It is an undisputed fact that these cellular nuclei 
are built up with the aid of the nucleins which are absorbed 
with our food, and which are then used for this purpose. The 
greatest quantity of and the most rapidly assimilated nucleins 
are at our disposal in animal food, especially in the form of 
meat rich in nuclein, such as glandular organs, sweetbreads, 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 137 

liver, and kidneys, for instance. We may, in this connection, 
also be justified in resorting to the teachings of organotherapy, 
now undisputed, from which it follows that when we take 
portions or extracts of any glandular organ, such as the thyroid 
or the ovaries, etc., a powerful influence is exerted upon the 
corresponding glands in our bodies. With this object in view 
the other glandular organs, such as the kidneys and liver, have 
been used, and not without results, according to the labors of 
a whole series of authors. In other words : I cannot convince 
myself that the substance so important and necessary for our 
bodies, albumin, which is, for instance, found in spinach, or 
even in vegetables such as beans and peas, can be used with 
such good results as the albumin of meat, which so closely 
corresponds in its composition with that of our bodies, the 
cells of which it is to rebuild. The animal albumin must, in 
comparison with others of vegetable origin, be considered as 
more valuable, and better adapted to take the place of the body 
albumin, especially when we consider that, according to Fischer 
and Abderhalden, the various albuminoid bodies, even when 
they are built from the same stones, as it were, group them- 
selves in various ways, according to the variety or kind. 
Furthermore, as stated by Osborne and Clapp, 1 the various 
constituents of albumin, as they are, for instance, contained in 
wheat, glidin, glutein, and leucosin, give off large quantities of 
decomposition products. It is, therefore, to be supposed that 
these differences of the albumin bodies would likewise mani- 
fest themselves in their physiological actions and in our nutri- 
tion, and that there would be a difference, in this respect, be- 
tween the animal and vegetable varieties of albumin. When, 
thus, both animal and vegetable albumins are at the disposal of 
the body for the building up of its tissues, it is owing to these 
facts, very probably, that after the absorption in the blood, and 
the transformation of the albuminoid bodies of various origins 

1 Quoted after Chittenden. 



138 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



into the albumin of our bodies, the animal varieties are given 
the preference, i.e., chiefly utilized by our cells. 

While, with animal food, more nucleins are absorbed, 
more organic phosphorus, which is the most useful combina- 
tion for us, is likewise absorbed, so that we may here also se< 
an advantage in the nuclein-rich animal and fish diet. By this 
diet, also, which is most important, the action of certain duct- 
less glands, particularly the thyroid, is stimulated, and the 
increased activity of this gland has a protective influence 
against infectious diseases, as tuberculosis. This would explaii 
the fact, as has been found by Richet and others, that raw 
meat possesses a special activity against tuberculosis which is 
entirely absent in cooked meat. The elucidation of this fact is 
furnished by the experiments of Breisacher, in the laboratory 
of Munk, who states that the extractives of meat excite the 
thyroid, while cooked meat does not have this effect. It H 
especially to be remembered that the extract of the thyroid 
gland which is given off into the blood is found in the blood 
of raw meat, so that the latter will, in the same way as is don< 
by the therapeutic administration of the thyroid extract, stimu- 
late the activity of this gland. It follows, therefore, that in 
the case of delicate children with a predisposition to tuber- 
culosis, and especially during the period of growth, rare beef- 
steaks and similar foods should not be spared, while with 
growing children, particularly at the time of puberty, nuclein- 
rich foods in the form of liver, kidneys, etc., should be 
given the preference, since they are also rich in lecithin and 
phosphorus. In this way the growth of these children will be 
greatly helped. It is, however, a striking fact in regard to our 
diet that there is scarcely one of the most useful foods that 
does not have its disadvantages, and consequently, in the case 
of adults, and particularly persons of advanced age, foods rich 
in nucleins may prove very injurious. The nucleins form 
purin bases during the disintegration process, and from these 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 139 

uric acid is formed, so that with food rich in nuclein gout is 
furthered. All such patients, and also those suffering from 
arteriosclerosis, should avoid such foods, as otherwise the 
blood-pressure will be greatly increased. In arteriosclerotics 
a meat diet is harmful, because it increases the inner resistance 
of the vessels to the blood-stream (Determann). The elimina- 
tion of sugar in diabetes is also very injuriously affected by 
such a diet, to which fact I have already called attention in 
former works. In all the above-mentioned affections meat is 
not indicated ; in diabetes its use must be restricted as far as is 
possible, and in severe cases should be entirely avoided, for 
reasons which I have fully explained in my recently published 
book on this disease. 

The milk-egg-vegetable diet is the best for all such 
patients, and is likewise indicated in many chronic diseases of 
the intestines, especially where bacterial decomposition influ- 
ences are present, in which case a meat diet is to be avoided. 
Neither should it be taken in liver affections, in which the 
extractive substances of the meat would have a very injurious 
action. When, in experiments on dogs, as Pawlow has shown, 
the liver is excluded from the circulation, as by means of an 
Eck fistula, these dogs instinctively avoid all meat. When it 
is introduced into the stomach in the form of powder, through 
a stomach tube, the dogs fare very badly. They show symp- 
toms of poisoning, and would soon die if the meat diet were 
continued. It is most surprising that bouillon — the extractive 
substances of the meat — alone will surely bring on such at- 
tacks. It follows, therefore, that rare, bloody meat and bouillon, 
in particular, should not be given to liver patients. Meat in 
general is a poor food for them, and in diseases of the kidneys, 
except in certain cases, it is likewise not indicated. Boiled and 
white meats might be given the preference, since the extract- 
ives are withdrawn by the cooking process, especially in the 
case of white meats and fish, in which the tissues are tender, 



140 Health Through Rational Diet. 



while in beef, which is so much harder and firmer, these juices 
are not so readily given off. 

While during youth, especially during the period of 
growth, the use of meat may be very beneficial, when not taken 
in too large quantities, it is not required by the adult, nor by 
persons of advanced age ; and when, on the contrary, it is taken 
in large quantities, as in England and America, three times 
per day, or with us twice a day in large amounts, there is no 
doubt that the action of the decomposition products may prove 
very prejudicial to our organs. When therefore, in advanced 
age, it is not desired to suppress meat entirely (which would be 
decidedly the best) and to limit one's self to a milk-egg-vege- 
table diet, which I consider the most rational one for man, it 
would at least be advisable to take only very limited quantities 
of meat, and this not oftener than once each day. 

5. Concerning the Necessity of a Humane Method of 
Killing Animals. 

When an animal is tormented its glands give off quite an 
amount of secretion, as the excitement develops in them an in- 
creased activity, during which the ductless glands secrete cer- 
tain poisonous substances, as has been shown in our work on 
"Old Age Deferred." That the secretion of the ductless glands 
is thrown directly into the blood is an undisputed fact, and that 
these glands are more active according to the emotions can be 
readily seen in animals — as in the stag, when troating — an 
expression of sexual excitement — the thyroid gland becomes 
swollen. In some animals the swelling is so great, when they 
are tormented, as to form a kind of goiter. That this secre- 
tion of the gland is thrown into the blood and is then taken up 
in the muscular tissues — the meat — is best shown by the fact 
that the meat of male animals, like the steer, has an unpleasant 
odor. This odor is especially pronounced in the he-goat, and 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 141 

probably no one would be able to eat of this ill-smelling meat. 
It is impossible to get rid of this odor. The cooks in Paris, 
during the siege of the city by the German army, tried in every 
possible way to do away with this most unpleasant odor of the 
meat of the male goat, the only meat which was to be had in 
the best restaurants; they tried strong acids, hut to no 
effect; the odor remained. In the same way it is impossible 
to remove from the meat of the muskrat the odor of musk 
which permeates it during the mating season. In the same 
way as these substances are secreted by the sexual glands, 
so are others produced by other glands. We know that these 
glandular extracts, when secreted in large quantities, have 
certain poisonous attributes — which fact has been unquestion- 
ably proven in the case of the thyroid gland. That the sexual 
glands also secrete such poisonous substances, which have a 
deleterious effect upon the nervous system in particular, we 
have likewise shown in our above-named work. That the 
blood-serum, which contains the secretions of all of the duct- 
less glands, may have a toxic action has been shown by the 
writings of Richet and others. 

These toxic effects also make their appearance when the 
meat of animals is eaten in which all the blood remains, as, for 
instance, in the ducks of Rouen, killed in such a cruel way — 
by suffocation. Deaths have even occurred after eating of 
them. Meat which contains all the blood becomes very rapidly 
decomposed, as is also the case with the tissues of the ductless 
glands as soon as removed from the body. 

When animals have been hunted and pursued, the meat 
contains considerable amounts of extractive substances; this 
is proven by the much more pronounced taste of such meat, 
which is rich in these "fright-products." Thus, Liebig 1 found 
that the muscular meat of a fox which had been brought to bay 

1 Liebig's Annalen nach Schittenhelm zitiert in Oppenheimer's 
"Handbuch der Biochemie," 1910, S. 537. 



142 Health Through Rational Diet. 

during the chase contained a larger amount of creatin than that 
of others which had been fed in the house. 

It is not healthy to eat the meat of a hunted animal ; before 
an animal is killed it ought to be well rested. When we see 
how farmers' wives often tie up a chicken in a handkerchief so 
that it takes up as little room as possible on the way to the 
market where it is to be killed, we can imagine what torments 
are endured by the animal. It is, consequently, not advisable 
to kill it on the same day ; it should be allowed to recover during 
a couple of days while being fed upon corn. As was told me 
at the Etoile Beige in Brussels last year, chickens were sent 
from Italy to Belgium, making the entire journey without 
food ; some few of the animals had even been eaten up by the 
rest. Such atrocities should be prohibited by the authorities, 
first out of humane kindness for the animals, and secondly with 
regard to health considerations based upon the statements made 
above. How terrible must be the sufferings of a hare when 
wounded in the legs by shot, and forced to run, shrieking with 
pain ! The more intelligent an animal is, the more its emotions 
are excited, and the toxic substances are then also more readily 
secreted and given off into the meat. The meat of castrated 
animals, the intelligence of which has been impaired by the 
process, as is also the case in persons similarly treated, is to be 
preferred for reasons given in our book on "Old Age De- 
ferred." But even in young and consequently less intelligent 
animals, as in calves, we may see how they instinctively object 
to going any farther when they are being led to slaughter and 
smell the blood of their comrades. If a painless, beautiful 
death, the "EvOavaVog," appeals to man as a desirable end, 
this should also be prescribed by law for animals, if only out 
of consideration for mankind. The eyes of the animal should 
be bandaged so that it will not suspect its coming end, and will 
die in a state of composure and in good condition. As I my- 
self saw in Chicago, in the mammoth slaughter houses of the 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 143 

late Mr. Nelson Morris, — wh'o emigrated, in poverty, from 
Cannstadt in Wiirttemberg to- that city, where he amassed a 
fortune of 25 millions of dollars, — the animals are stood in a 
row, and a powerful negro goes down the line, stunning — and 
occasionally killing — each animal by a blow upon the cranium 
with a dull axe, after which the animal is hung up and the 
jugular vein, is cut, thus allowing the blood to run out while 
the animal is still hanging up. As was mentioned above, it is 
more healthy to eat the meat of animals which have been bled. 
Since, as already stated, the meat of intelligent animals is 
more injurious, we can understand how reprehensible is the 
taste of those who are capable of eating the meat of the dog, 
the truest friend of man among animals. 

After all that has been said concerning the injurious ef- 
fects of the extractive substances when they are present in 
large amounts and are frequently indulged in, it follows that 
we should select a mode of death which would in the first place 
not cause the animal any anxiety, and avoid all pain. Even 
the elementary rules of humanity would require us to do this, 
although we may not be always able to follow the lofty teach- 
ings of the old philosophers of Hindustan in our battle for life, 
which decried the killing of any animal as an immoral pro- 
cedure. Indeed, one sometimes sees persons in India throwing 
rice on the grass, so that insects may feed upon it. 

One should at least carefully see to it that the animal is 
not unnecessarily tormented. It is, however, so arranged in 
this world that some animals can only keep alive by taking the 
life of some other animal. In nature, during every minute of 
the day or night, in fact, wholesale murder is being carried on, 
in the air, in the water, above and below the earth, and, with 
vegetarian principles, a tiger or a lion, for example, would soon 
be no more. If man, whose foods are very varied, must follow 
this course, which is tolerated by all God-believing religions, 
he should, at least, spare the animal all possible pain. And 



144 Health Through Rational Diet. 



if he will not do this out of humane feelings, he should, in view 
of what has been said above, do so out of consideration for 
his own well-being. That the taste of meat can be improved 
thereby was already known to Shakespeare, who says in the 
Merry Wives of Windsor, Act i, Scene i, "I wished your 
venison better; it was ill killed." 

(b) Fish Diet. 

i. Nutritive Value and Other Properties of Various 
Kinds of Fish Foods. 

The doctrines of certain churches, as the Roman Catholic, 
the Greek Orthodox, as well as the Anglican Church, forbid 
the use of meat during certain weeks of each year, and also on 
one day of each week, and recommend the use of fish. This 
fact corroborates the correctness of the statement made in our 
work on "Old Age Deferred" that the practice of a religious 
faith has a good influence in prolonging our life. Fish is more 
easily digested and is much better, for certain reasons, than 
meat. When one has at different times eaten an equally ample 
quantity of meat and fish, he usually feels less weight in the 
stomach after the fish, and this when even a rather larger 
quantity of lean fish is taken than of the meat. Fish in general 
have a much more tender flesh, they contain more water than 
meat usually does, and, while their fiber is more tender, they 
are, nevertheless, nourishing. Some varieties of fish do not 
contain any less albumin ; some, in fact, the salmon, perch, and 
pike, for instance, have even more than some kinds of meat. 
This form of albuminous food has the advantage that, with 
the exception of some few kinds of fish, such as the carp and 
salmon, the albumin is associated with other quite harmless 
substances, and, owing to the very limited amount of extract- 
ive substances, much fewer harmful products are formed than 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 145 

is the case with meat. In order, however, that fish outrank the 
meat as a diet, it is requisite that the fish be absolutely fresh, 
for there is no kind of meat which spoils so rapidly as fish. 
Owing to this, it is advisable in the hot summer weather to dis- 
pense with fish unless one has the good fortune to live near the 
water, so that one may be sure of eating the fish on the day 
it is caught. The Aztecs were well aware of the fact that fresh 
fish is a much more healthful food than meat; the Emperor 
Montezuma ate it daily, the fish being brought from distant 
shores by runners. It is much the best when the fish — which 
is possible in the fresh-water varieties — is brought to the 
kitchen alive, and is killed only a very short time before it is to 
be used. The meat of such fish has a different appearance 
from the others ; the trout looks blue and the meat of the cod 
or haddock is firm. In Holland one may often see the fish 
dealer kill the fish just as he is delivering it, making deep in- 
cisions into the quivering body; this causes contraction of the 
flesh, which can only be seen in perfectly fresh cod or had- 
dock. The eel is treated even more barbarously, for, in the 
belief that the meat tastes better, the skin is pulled off while 
the fish is yet alive. 

Just because fish contains much less flavoring substance 
than does meat, it is most important that it be fresh. Nowhere 
else is it possible to eat such good-tasting sea fish as in Eng- 
land and Holland, and in Sweden and Norway, because it 
goes directly into the hands and stomach of the purchaser. In 
Paris and in other cities of the Continent it is more difficult to 
obtain such fish, and the longer the fish travels on the ice the 
more it loses its taste. This does not mean that it loses any of 
its merit as a healthful food when well packed in ice and eaten 
soon after its arrival. Generally speaking, a fish diet is most 
healthful when the fish is eaten at not too great a distance from 
its home. The taste of the fish depends, as does that of meat, 

upon its food and its abiding place. Usually the fish living in 

10 



146 Health Through Rational Diet. 



deep water, and those of mountain streams, are the most 
healthful; those living in unclean, muddy water are much less 
so, and Galenus already decried the use of such fish, especially 
when they are caught in waters below a city. 

The use of fish without scales was strictly prohibited by 
Moses, 1 and it is very interesting to note that the same law 
exists among the Hottentots and the Bushmen in South Africa, 
who, like the Jews, do not eat pork. Certain fish found in 
tropical regions, as in Cuba, Florida, etc., are very poisonous. 
In these sections there is a phenomenal quantity of fish, as I 
was able to observe during a two weeks* stay in Miami and 
Palm Beach, in Florida, during the winter of 1906- 1907. 
Owing to the fact that many of these fish eat poisonous 
medusae and other harmful substances, decomposed bodies, etc., 
their meat becomes poisonous. When, however, care is taken 
to at once remove the head and intestine when they are caught, 
the meat proper may be eaten without fear of untoward results. 

Fresh fish is not only the best, but it is the most readily 
digested ; it tastes best when fried or baked, as by boiling the 
savory elements are even more easily drawn out from the fish 
than they are from meat. Smoked fish is quite as digestible 
as boiled fish, but the same is not the case with the dried and 
salted varieties. Penzoldt found, in regard to the digestibility 
of fish, that J4 kg. of whitefish was digested in two and one- 
half to two and three-quarter hours, while the same quantity 
of meat took three and one-quarter hours. Herring required 
the most time, — about four hours. According to Rubner, 
Atwater, and others, fresh fish meat is quite as well assimilated 
as beef, as will also be seen in the writings of Langworthy, 
who found that, of the fish, only 5 per cent, of albumin and 10 
per cent, of fat were lost. Slowzoff recently affirmed that 
freshly cooked fish was even better assimilated than meat; he 
also found that smoked fish was as well assimilated as that 



1 Leviticus, ix, 9, 12 ; after Pavy. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 147 



which was cooked, but the salted and dried kinds more poorly 
so than the cooked fish. He found that the nitrogen was the 
equivalent of that in meat. 

In addition to the albumin and considerable quantities of 
gelatin, fish also contains valuable mineral salts in not incon- 
siderable quantities; some varieties contain much phosphorus. 
SlowzofI states that these nutrient salts are also better assimi- 
lated than those of meat, and that more phosphorus and 
magnesia are absorbed. 

It will be seen from the above that a fish diet is a very- 
advantageous form of nourishment, and that from it we get 
large quantities of nutritive substances. We shall show in the 
following list by Konig 1 how many calories are obtained from 
a fish diet, and how much of the various nutrient salts is found 
in the kinds of fish which are chiefly eaten : — 





Nitrogenous 

substance. 

Per cent. 


Fat. 
Per cent. 


Salts. 
Per cent. 


Calories con- 
tained in 1 kg:. 


Fatty fishes. 
Salmon 


21.14 
15.44 
12.80 
16.67 
18.96 
16.30 

18.42 
16.93 
19.20 
18.50 
17.00 
16.00 
14.20 
17.60 


13.53 
7.67 

28.40 
8.73 
1.85 
7.90 

0.53 
0.26 
2.10 
0.70 
0.30 
1.40 
0.50 
2.10 


1.40 
1.70 
0.90 

i.30 

1.20 
1.30 

1.20 
1.30 
1.30 


2136 


Herring 

Eel 


1370 
3190 


Carp, fed 


1045 


Carp, not fed 


870 


Whitefish 


1980 


Lean fishes. 
Pike 


909 


Haddock 


816 


Trout 


980 


Perch 


960 


Cod 


720 


Plaice 


900 


Sole 


730 


Turbot 2 


1040 







We shall now give after Konig, ii, S. 483, the nutrient 
salt content of two fishes, from which an approximate idea of 
the salts contained in others may be formed : — 

1 After Konig, ii, 1468. 

2 The last three fishes, as well as the analysis of the whitefish, are 
quoted from Schall and Heisler. 



148 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



Nutrient Salt Content. 


The ash contains 


Potash. 
Per cent. 


Soda. 
Per cent. 


Phosphoric 

acid. 

Per cent. 


Sulphuric 

acid. 
Per cent. 


Chlorine. 
Per cent. 


Codfish 


13.84 
23.92 


36.51 
20.45 


13.70 
38.15 


6.31 

2.80 


38.11 


Pike 


4.75 







As this table shows, fish meat is characterized by a high 
content of soda and a low amount of potash. The quantity of 
common salt is naturally quite considerable in sea fish. When 
the fish are salted down, the amount of salt is greatly increased ; 
the fish are placed in tubs and are covered with brine. The 
longer they remain in the brine, the more salt they absorb. 
This influences their digestibility in a very unfavorable way, 
as has been already stated ; it may be imagined how injuriously 
the kidneys will be affected when such large quantities of salt 
pass through them. Such fish are, therefore, certainly not 
healthful. 

The best method of preparing the fish with regard to 
their digestibility is by boiling or frying. Since, however, the 
flavoring elements are so readily given off, and there is, con- 
sequently, very little taste left, possibly the only way to retain 
it is by steaming. 

It will be necessary, as previously emphasized, to see that 
the fish is always fresh. There is no article of food in whicl 
this is more important, particularly in the summer. The d( 
composition processes occurring in fish may, otherwise, giv( 
rise to the much-dreaded ptomaine poisoning. 

The Indian tribes of Oregon had the habit of burying 
salmon in the ground, and, the more it was decayed, the better 
they liked it. 1 The inhabitants of Greenland and the othei 
Eskimos do the same with seals. Dried and strongly smelling 
fish seem also to be a favorite food with the Chinese and 



1 Wilkens : U. S. Exploring Expedition, iv, p. 451, after Pavy. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 149 

Malays in Java and in the Archipelago. In Java, trassi, the 
meat of dried shrimps, is eaten after having been kept for many 
months. While I was the guest of a family in the Hague who 
had possessions in India, I had the opportunity of tasting this. 
It had a most unpleasant odor, but did not taste badly. It 
might be here mentioned that trassi, as has been stated by 
Jebbink, is very rich in phosphorus, probably as much so as 
any article of food ; its total content of phosphoric acid amounts 
to 2.27 per cent., and, of this, 2.21 per cent, is soluble and 
digestible. 

While fresh fish, in general, does not keep very well, this 
is particularly the case with fatty fishes, for very soon, some- 
times after one day, the quality of the fat undergoes a change 
and it has a rancid taste, as in the eel and the salmon. Yet, 
these two kinds of fish are the best flavored among them all, 
and have, likewise, the greatest nutritive value. They have 
the disadvantage, however, and the eel most particularly so, of 
being very difficult to digest not only on account of the great 
quantity of fat contained in the eel, but also because of its 
very unappetizing habits. I would call it the pig among fishes. 
It likes to roll in the mud, and in water containing waste 
products of all sorts ; where the water is stagnant and cannot 
run off, as in the Dutch canals, the eel tastes the best. The 
variety living in clean water has not nearly so good a taste as 
the river eel, and particularly that living in the ditches and 
canals in Holland. It is said of this fish that it eats the most 
unclean things, and it was stated that the eels caught near the 
Dutch Lazarettos, in the Dutch Indies, fed upon the bodies of 
the dead, together with refuse of all sorts, and that, with it 
all, their meat had a wonderfully good taste ! Something of 
the same nature has been recorded in history of Vadius 
Pollonius, who fed his murcence, a kind of eel, with the flesh 
of slaves who had been killed just for this purpose, in order 
that they should have a better taste. That the meat of the eel 



150 Health Through Rational Diet. 

sometimes causes toxic disturbances may no doubt be referred 
to its unclean mode of living, and we may find in this instance 
an exception to the rule that everything which has an agreeable 
taste is good, and agrees with one. The meat of the eel can 
in no way be regarded as a healthy food. The salmon might 
rather be recommended for a normally healthy person, since 
it is not quite so fat as the eel, and always lives in clean water. 
Owing to its fat content and its very compact meat, salmon is 
not easily digested, and is not indicated for people suffering 
from stomach and intestinal disorders. According to some 
authors, who found that salmon contained considerable quan- 
tities of purin bodies, it is not to be recommended in gout and 
arteriosclerosis. Lately, however, Bessau and Schmidt found 
in both the eel and the salmon much smaller quantities of 
purin bases; in ioo grams of each fish there were 0.024 gram 
(salmon) and 0.027 gram (eel). 

The salmon usually prefers the northern waters ; in Europe 
it is found in large numbers in the Norwegian and Swedish 
waters, and when in very cold winters the seals come farther 
south they eat up all the salmon of the Swedes and Norwe- 
gians; it is for this reason that in these regions there is an 
actual massacre of seals. Whoever likes good salmon fishing 
should go to Canada, where the lakes in the province of Quebec 
are full of these fish. Wonderful stories were told me of the 
size and quality of the salmon while I was in Quebec, four 
years ago, during the winter. 

Another very popular fish, the herring, also prefers the 
waters of the North. We unfortunately only get this fish, 
which is so excellent when fresh, in the salted or pickled form, 
and then it is not quite so good, nor is it a healthy food sub- 
stance. I have eaten very good fresh herring in England. In 
the Lake of Garda there is also a variety of that fish which is 
excellent. The amount of salt contained in salted herring is 
often very considerable after it has been in the brine for some 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 151 

time. Konig states that herring which has been lying in brine 
for three days contains 9.5 per cent, of salt; after nine weeks 
it contains 17.7 per cent., an amount which is certainly prej- 
udicial for the kidneys. 

The value of fresh herring is increased when it contains 
the roe or the milt. Of the fatty fishes, the one most easily 
digested is the whitefish, which the English (Pavy) call the 
"sea chicken." 

The best-tasting and probably also the most easily digested 
among the fat fish varieties is the carp. In Berlin, particularly, 
great quantities of this fish are consumed. Unfortunately, 
however, the carp contains — it is unfortunate that so often 
with the best goods there must be a "but" — a large amount of 
extractive substances. According to the latest analyses of 
Bessau and Schmidt, the carp contains more purin bases than 
either the eel or salmon, 100 grams containing 0.054 gram. 
The herring contains more extractive substances : 0.064 gram. 
Small fish in general, such as anchovies and sprats, contain the 
greatest number of purin bases ; also the sardine, which has the 
large amount of o. 118 gram purin bases in 100 grams. While 
the carp, however, gives off a portion of its extractive sub- 
stances during cooking, this is naturally not the case with the 
sardine. Another fish which is considered as one of the most 
healthy as food, the trout, contains, according to these authors, 
a like amount of purin bases. There is probably no fish which 
is so well liked in our Carlsbad diet as the trout, and, as a 
matter of fact, the meat of this fish is quite easily digested. 
When we consider that, just as is the case in meat, a hard, 
tough condition prevents the elimination of the extractive sub- 
stances through cooking — as in beef, for example — the opposite 
condition probably exists in the trout; for just as the tender 
meat of the calf gives off its extractives in cooking, so does 
also the soft, tender trout. A fresh, well-cooked trout has very 
little of the flavoring substances left, and may without hesi- 



152 Health Through Rational Diet. 

tancy be recommended as a food for arteriosclerotics and gouty 
patients, as well as in diabetes. 

With regard to the digestibility, the sole, which also has 
a tender fiber, resembles the trout; also the plaice, which is 
eaten in large quantities in England and in Holland, and is of 
a fine quality. The turbot would probably come next. The 
haddock is rather more indigestible, owing to its tough and 
hard fibers. This fish is best eaten in Norway. It has an 
excellent taste and, when perfectly fresh, is not so hard to 
digest; so that we can readily understand the predilection of 
the Norwegians for this fish, and the current saying, "J eg aer 
Norsk, J eg spiser Torsk." On the other hand, the same fish, 
when I ate it in Barcelona, where it is called "baccalau," did 
not taste nearly so good; neither did I care for the "cabillaud" 
in Belgium and France. The salted codfish, because of the 
salt, has very hard fibers, and might be rendered more palatable 
if the salt were first well washed out in plenty of water, and 
the fish cooked for some time. It will then not only taste 
better, but it will also be more readily digested. The cod is, in 
itself, not a very easily digested fish, owing to its tough flesh. 
It might probably represent beef among the fish varieties, par- 
ticularly since it contains more albumin than the plaice and 
sole. Kanianizin made a series of experiments on the digesti- 
bility of this fish in the prisons ,of St. Petersburg, and found 
that it was quite as well digested and assimilated as beef. While 
hearty eaters make the objection that they have nothing in 
their stomachs after having eaten fish, I can affirm, by my 
own experience, that such is not the case as regards codfish. 

2. The Advantages of a Fish Diet. 

With the present high cost of living, when the poorer 
classes cannot afford to buy meat, I cannot see why a fish diet 
is not more generally indulged in. With our improved trans- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 153 

portation facilities we are able to send sea fish, which in some 
regions are caught in such enormous quantities, to a great 
distance, and yet are able to supply the consumer so that they 
may be eaten on the same day. In this way a food substance 
is furnished which is not only, when eaten while fresh, much 
more healthful, but is also much cheaper, than meat, even those 
meats imported from Australia and the Argentine Republic. 
Aside from this, it is decidedly preferable to eat a fish which is 
only one or at most two days old, than meat which has been 
preserved on ice for weeks. There is probably no other food 
substance, with possibly the exception of cheese, — in which we 
have an animal albumin, the value of which we have already 
stated, — which can be purchased at such a moderate price as 
many varieties of fish. Fish meat also has many advantages, 
some of which have already been mentioned. First of all, I 
wish to again emphasize the digestibility of fish as compared 
with that of meat, and it is quite certain, as I have myself been 
able to determine, that fish does not remain as long in the 
stomach as meat, and that one consequently has a better appe- 
tite for the next meal. When, therefore, one has a weak 
stomach, the tender meat of some of the white fishes referred 
to in the last chapter is a much more appropriate food. It is 
also a great advantage — to which we desire to call attention — 
that one is able to take in combination with fish certain valuable 
foods which can probably never be taken with meat, as, for 
instance, the roe and milt. Both are rich in phosphorus, and 
the roe contains some iron. These are perhaps the most 
valuable components of fish, since they contain as much as 30 
per cent, of nitrogen and 20 per cent, of fat. I might add, 
however, that in some kinds of fish, like the salmon and pike, 
these structures, as well as the meat itself, have certain toxic 
properties during the breeding season, and should therefore 
not be indulged in at that time. The eggs of the sturgeon 
(caviar) will be treated of in a special chapter. 



154 Health Through Rational Diet. 

As an albuminous food fish has, furthermore, the very 
great advantage that patients suffering from kidney and liver 
disorders, or from gout, may take this form of albumin, which 
contains much less of the injurious substances than that of 
meat, since in fish there is a smaller proportion of extractives, 
— with the exception of the smaller varieties, — while those 
having tender fibers give off more of these extractives during 
the process of cooking. 

With few exceptions less uric acid is formed with a fish 
diet than with one of meat; and since it is often very difficult 
to induce a gouty patient, who has been a meat-eater for years, 
to give it up entirely, he might be allowed to eat fish at least 
once a day. With diabetic patients, as I have stated in my 
book on diabetes, I have observed that the eating of fish, such 
as the "schill" and the perch-pike, causes much less sugar elimi- 
nation than is the case with meat, and by using such a diet 
with the addition of green vegetables and some carbohydrates 
(fruit, rye bread, graham bread, etc.) I have more easily 
arrested the elimination of sugar in Carlsbad patients. In the 
treatment of arteriosclerosis I have likewise obtained great 
benefit from the use of tender white fish. The fish diet is 
especially useful as a transition food between the meat and the 
milk and vegetable diet. We first leave off the meat and 
replace it by fish, which is after some time also abandoned, and 
the albuminoid portion of the food is made up of cheese or 
cereals. The use of fish in the diet of brainworkers, as a com- 
ponent article of food, when exhausting literary work is to be 
done, and also the influence of fish upon the sexual activity 
and upon the intellectual activity, will be dealt with later on. 

All of the above advantages, however, depend entirely upon 
the fresh condition of the fish. Such as have been kept for a 
long time have lost all taste, as I was able to convince myself 
during my ocean voyages to and from America. I was, for this 
reason, only able to eat the fish during the first few days. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 155 

This loss of taste is not the worst feature. The poisoning by 
fish has already been mentioned, and very frequently eczema 
and other skin rashes make their appearance after eating stale 
fish. Strange to say, I most frequently saw such cases among 
my French patients — last summer in a colleague, and in two 
other gentlemen from Paris. The patients assured me that 
every time they ate fish their old eczema was sure to manifest 
itself again. One of these patients did not suffer from eczema 
after eating trout at Carlsbad, because these fish were only 
killed just as they were to be cooked. These toxic symptoms 
may have been due to the fact that the fish suffered before 
death — through unsatisfactory modes of transportation, insuffi- 
cient quantities of water — and this perhaps unclean — and that 
this gave rise to the formation of "fright products," which 
acted like poisons, already referred to when speaking of the 
killing of animals. The fish must, immediately after having 
been caught, be placed in large receptacles containing fresh 
and, if possible, running water, a sort of aquarium as it were, 
where they remain until just before they are to be used, when 
they should be very quickly killed. 

Frequently, when injurious effects follow the eating of 
fish, these may be due not so much to the fish itself as to the 
addition of bad sauces made with bad butter, or with spoiled 
cream. This state of affairs usually only occurs in restaurants, 
and here the preparation is more to be feared than the fish. 
Soup made of fish is a valuable and agreeable food substance. 
The "halaszle" (fish soup) made in Hungary is a very excel- 
lent fish food, particularly that made on the shores of the 
Platten See (Balaton) of the fish found in its waters, the 
world-renowned fogas (Fogorsh). This is a kind of fish 
goulash, but true gourmands prefer the "fogas" when broiled 
upon the spit. We consider this fish a most excellent one, and 
a very healthful food. 



156 Health Through Rational Diet. 



(c) Oysters and Shellfish; their Advantages and 
Disadvantages. 

When we read, as has been related by Brillat Savarin, 
that while he was acting as Envoy of the Directory during the 
great revolution he dined with a Monsieur Laporte, who ate 
oysters during a whole hour, and consumed 32 dozen of them 
(which did him so little harm that he managed very well with 
the rest of the dinner), we must conclude that oysters must 
have been much cheaper one hundred years ago, and that at 
that time typhoid epidemic due to the eating of oysters did 
not occur. The latter was reserved as a blessing of our times, 
with our fully developed canalization! We can, to be sure, 
understand the appetite of Monsieur Laporte and his contem- 
poraries, who could not content themselves with less than a 
gross (12 dozen) of oysters, for in order to obtain sufficient 
nourishment from these bivalves a great many of them must 
be eaten. An oyster contains about 5 to 6 per cent, of albumin, 
1 per cent, of fat, 33/2 per cent, carbohydrates, so that in 1 kilo 
of oysters 520 calories are contained. It would therefore be 
necessary to eat a very great number of oysters, and if these 
were the best of their kind, the Zealand oysters, or those from 
Ostende or Whitestable, one would have to be a multi- 
millionaire, like those owning palaces on Fifth Avenue in New 
York, to stand the cost. Vitellus was quite right when, about 
two thousand years ago, he called this food "cibis nobilium." 

It is quite easy to eat a great many oysters, because they 
are very easily digested and because they also stimulate the 
appetite, so that they are to be recommended for persons suf- 
fering from lack of appetite. They can be well digested by all 
convalescents and weakened persons. It is because they tend 
to stimulate the appetite that oysters are served at the begin- 
ning of a meal. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 157 

Oysters are perhaps the only animal food which we eat 
raw, and, so to speak, living, for they are only healthful when 
they are perfectly fresh. It is possibly just this circumstance 
which exerts the stimulating and excitant action of the oyster 
diet, which, as we shall refer to later, is said to have an influ- 
ence upon sexual activity. The Romans, those dissolute gour- 
mands, had toward the end of their Empire very productive 
oyster beds near Bajae, and, as Pliny and Horace have related, 
they were great lovers of the succulent bivalve. 

Just as raw meat has useful properties against tuber- 
culosis, so did Boerhave detect a similar effect in oysters. 
Since the valuable properties of the oyster are entirely lost 
after they have been cooked, these must be contained in the 
extractives, in the juice of the raw oyster. It is a very great 
pity that at present the eating of raw oysters is frequently 
productive of quite serious danger to the health, for in some 
regions the sewage water is emptied very near the oyster 
banks, which frequently contain typhoid bacteria; and it is a 
fact that in some large cities, as in Paris, for instance, rather 
serious epidemics of typhoid fever usually occur about three or 
four weeks after the Christmas season, or during the early 
months of the winter, owing to use of such infected oysters. 
During the past few years, however, conditions have improved, 
and the authorities in the regions where there are oyster beds 
and colonies have enforced strict regulations in regard to the 
cleanliness and purity of the water. The government of the 
Netherlands, for instance, went so far as to examine and to 
prepare cultures of the water in laboratories, in order to con- 
vince themselves that no injurious bacteria were contained 
therein, so that the oysters could be eaten with safety. We 
consider oysters a very healthful, although not very nourishing, 
food, which is best adapted for the use of patients and con- 
valescents, as well as for gourmands. Hutchison states that 
in 12 oysters there are only 5 grams of digestible albumin, and, 



158 Health Through Rational Diet. 

according to Stutzer, i egg contains as much nourishment as 
14 oysters. 

Mussels may even be more dangerous when eaten raw; 
recently a severe typhoid epidemic was caused by them. 
Mussels are more nourishing than oysters, as they contain 
more albumin; in fact nearly twice as much as the oysters, 
about 9 per cent., and about the same amount of fat and carbo- 
hydrates. The. mussel, however, is more difficult to digest, as 
the meat is tougher. It is certainly safer to always have them 
cooked, as they, as well as the oysters, may not only cause 
typhoid, but may also give rise to severe poisoning cases, and 
also to intestinal catarrh, when they grow in water which con- 
tains poisonous matter. 

Symptoms of poisoning are also frequently caused by 
eating crabs. Their meat has a very agreeable taste, but they, 
like their larger brothers of the ocean, the lobsters, eat decayed 
and putrefied substances and injurious meats, and very fre- 
quently urticaria and other eruptions occur after their inges- 
tion. In one case which I observed, that of an English clergy- 
man, the entire right arm was swollen after he had eaten some 
lobster; the swelling soon disappeared, however. It is most 
important that these crustaceans should, as soon as they are 
removed from their own element, be placed in boiling water, 
and they should likewise be eaten soon after they are cooked — 
possibly a day later. It is certainly a barbarous habit to do as 
some cooks do, who put them into cold water and then let 
them boil slowly, instead of at once putting them into water 
which is already boiling. It may possibly have been this 
method of cooking which caused the poisonous symptoms. 
The meat is very compact and is difficult to digest. Owing to 
the hardness of the meat, however, it is necessary that it be 
well masticated, and it is then rather more easily digested, 
when not eaten in too large quantities. The lobster being 
eaten cold, this also may affect the digestion unfavorably. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 159 

Sometimes lobster soup has caused cramps. It would certainly 
not be advisable for the author of a book on rational dietetics 
to recommend the eating of crabs or lobster. 

For economical reasons I must, nevertheless, say that 
these crustaceans contain much nutriment. Lobster, according 
to Payen, contains from 13 to 19 per cent, of albumin (thus 
approximating beef) and about 1 per cent, of fat. Crab con- 
tains, according to Konig, 10 per cent, of albumin, 0.4 per 
cent, fat, 1 per cent, carbohydrates, and 100 grams of the 
meat give about 80 calories. It must also be remembered that 
they, like the oyster and mussel, are very rich in certain 
nutrient salts, phosphorus in particular 1 ; lime is also present 
in fair amounts. If we are desirous of absorbing these salts 
in such foods, it would be better to eat the shrimps and small 
crabs ; these are also more easily digested when well masticated. 
Quite a number of these small crustaceans can be used at one 
time without untoward effects, and in some resorts at the sea- 
side, as at Ostende, the physicians order their patients to eat 
shrimps already at breakfast, as they are considered a healthful 
food. The influence of these crustaceans upon the sexual 
functions, which has been praised since ancient times, I shall 
discuss later on. According to- Konig, crabs contain 15.8 per 
cent, of nutrient substance, 1.32 per cent, of fat, and 2.42 per 
cent, of carbohydrate. 

We do not wish to close this chapter without referring to 
two animals having shell-like habitations, i.e., the tiny snail 
and, as a contrast, the large tortoise. The snails found in the 
vineyards in France and in Spain, where they are called "cara- 
coles," are eaten in large numbers. Personally, I did not find 
them very good, and I consider them hard to digest. The 
gelatinous meat of the tortoise is preferable, and the "real 



1 According to Gautier, the meat of the lobster contains 2.20 per 
cent, of organic phosphorus. 



160 Health Through Rational Diet. 

turtle soup" used in England has quite a stimulating effect on 
the appetite. This is, however, its chief advantage. 

(d) The Advantageous Properties of Eggs. 

After milk, there is probably no other article of food 
which is so valuable for mankind as the egg, and scarcely any 
other food substance possesses so many useful properties. Of 
the nutrient substances, eggs contain large quantities of. 
albumin and fat. The amount of nourishment contained in an 
egg corresponds with that in 40 grams of fat meat or about 
1 50 grams of milk. 

If we allow 60 grams to an egg, the shell contains 7.2 
grams, the white of the egg 35.4 grams, and the yolk 17.4 
grams. The percentage would be divided about as follows : — 

The shell 12 per cent. 

The white of egg 58 per cent. 

The yolk 30 per cent. 

Eggs likewise present the great advantage that in addi- 
tion to their albumin and fat content, and consequent nutritive 
value, they are very readily digested, and are better assimilated 
in the body than the great majority of foods. 

Raw eggs are the most difficult to digest, since, owing to 
their fluidity, they cause very little secretion of saliva, and are 
apt to coagulate in the stomach. Soft-boiled eggs are very 
much more digestible, and even the hard-boiled eggs are not 
so indigestible as is claimed by many. As a matter of fact, 
hard-boiled eggs are often more easily digested than raw ones, 
as I have been able to determine both in my own experience and 
in that of my patients. It is important, however, that the 
hard eggs be well masticated; their digestibility depends upon 
this. 

According to the experiments of Jaworski and Gluzinski, 
hard-boiled eggs, when finely chopped and taken with water, 
remain in the stomach only one and one-half hours. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 161 

If with many persons there is a difference in regard to the 
digestibility of the hard and soft eggs, there is no difference 
as far as the assimilation is concerned. 

According to Rubner, even when 21 hard eggs had been 
eaten, 1 they were as well assimilated as meat, so that only the 
following small quantities were lost : — 

Dry substance 5.2 per cent. 

Nitrogen 2.9 per cent. 

Fat 5 per cent. 

Ash 18.4 per cent. 

Eggs are therefore a very valuable and easily assimilated 
food. In addition to this they have the following advantage, 
which is shared by very few foods : they contain no injurious 
substances. In meat, in addition to the albumin content, there 
are the extractives, and consequently much meat may prove 
injurious. This is not the case with the egg, where the 
albumin contained does not cause the formation of any in- 
jurious product, such as uric acid ; neither does it increase the 
sugar in diabetes, as other albumins do, and this in spite of the 
fact that it contains carbohydrate molecules. This proves that 
the secretion of sugar, as I have already stated in my previous 
works, is often less frequently caused by carbohydrate-con- 
taining foods than by those free from the carbohydrates, and 
that some toxic irritant is in question. If various foods really 
do have a toxic action owing to their decomposition products, 
this scarcely comes into consideration in the case of the egg. 
Eggs may be considered as one of the most healthful among all 
foods, but, naturally, only when they are fresh, or are in the 
wintertime preserved in a rational manner. 

The great nutritive value of the egg may be seen in the 
following table by Konig : — 

1 Rubner: Zeitschrift fur Biologie, 1879, 15, 115. 

11 



162 Health Through Rational Diet. 

A fresh egg contains : — 

N-free 
Water. Nitrogen. Fat. extractives. Ash. 

73.67 per cent. 12.50 per cent. 12.02 per cent. 0.67 per cent. 1.70 per cent. 
In the dry substance : — 

Nitrogenous 

matter. Fat. Ash. Nitrogen. 

47.46 per cent. 45.67 per cent. 4.06 per cent. 7.64 per cent. 

The white of egg contains 12.77 P er cent - oi nitrogenous 
substance, and the yolk 16.05 P er cent - > tne white contains 0.25 
per cent, of fat, while the yolk contains a very large amount, 
31.70 per cent. In an egg weighing 48 grams there are about 
6.4 grams of nitrogenous substance and 5 grams of fat. 

Together with this high nutrient value, eggs also contain 
other important substances which play a great role in the 
building up of and in the functions of the central nervous 
system, such as lecithin, of which the yolk of the egg, according 
to Gobley, contains 7.2 per cent. There is also about 1 per cent, 
of salts in the yolk. The amount of phosphorus is quite large ; 
in 100 grams of the yolk there is 1.279 grams of phosphoric 
acid, as stated by Juckenak. The yolk is also said to contain 
some brain substance, i.e., protagon, which is decomposed into 
cerebrin and lecithin. 

In view of the above, eggs are to be recommended as a 
food for persons suffering from nervous depression, neuras- 
thenia, etc. To be sure, it is not sufficient, as we shall show 
later on, to simply give large amounts of food containing phos- 
phorus and lecithin, in order to cause the brain and mind to 
functionate better, as all this is not accomplished merely by the 
absorption of such substances. They must be made use of and 
assimilated, and this depends upon other factors. It is in no 
sense a rational proceeding to take expensive products for the 
purpose of introducing lecithin and phosphorus into the body, 
when this can be better accomplished with fresh eggs. 

To the great content of the egg in nutrient substances 
and lecithin must be added the quantity of other substances 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 163 

which make the egg, like milk, one of the most complete food- 
stuffs; these substances are certain mineral salts, especially 
oxide of iron and lime. The iron contained in the egg is 0.39 
per cent, of the total contents. According to Bunge, in 100 
grams of the yolk of eggs 0.0 1 gram of iron is contained. 
According to the calculations of Hutchison, we can obtain from 
7 T A e SS s a ^ tne iron required daily by the organism, which 
quantity, according to Stockmann, is 10 milligrams. 

We show, in the following table according to Pollak and 
Weber, the quantity of the various nutrient salts contained in 
eggs :— 

Nutrient Salts Contained in Eggs. 

Oxide of 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia. iron. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

White of egg 26.6 —39.4 23.5 —32.9 1.74— 3 1.70—371 0.44—0.55 
Yolk of egg 8.93—10.90 5.12— 6.75 11.1 —13.2 1.07—2.11 1.19—1.45 

Phosphoric Sulphuric 

Chlorine. acid. acid. Silicic acid. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

White of egg 23—28.8 3.16—4.81 1.32—2.63 0.28—2.04 

Yolk of egg — 63.8 —66.7 — 0.55—1.40 

It might be well to add that, according to the experiments 
of the French chemist Bertrand, in the Pasteur Institute, eggs 
also contain a trace of arsenic; ducks' eggs have more of it 
than those of chickens. 

When several eggs are eaten daily, it will be seen by the 
table given above that a quantity of important nutrient salts, 
such as phosphorus, iron, lime, and silicic acid, is absorbed 
by the body, and this, as I would specially emphasize, in an 
organic form. Why should expensive drugs containing iron 
be bought when we can get the same results with several 
e ggs? — not to mention the fact that most valuable nutritive 
substances as well as other nutrient salts are combined with it, 
which are, besides, easily digested and assimilated ; this cannot 
always be said of the iron-containing drugs. 

For persons suffering from anemia, as well as for chlorotic 
young girls, it is advisable to eat several eggs daily. One 



164 Health Through Rational Diet. 

advantage of this is the fact that diseases such as tuberculosis, 
etc., which are liable to occur after these conditions, are more 
easily prevented. The great amount of albumin and the iron 
contained in the eggs make them one of the most valuable 
foods in all cases in which it is desired to encourage the forma- 
tion of blood. For this, eggs are to be given the preference, 
since, even when taken in considerable numbers, they do not 
exert any untoward effects on the uric acid diathesis. Gouty 
patients can also take eggs without injurious results. The egg 
diet is especially useful when meat is excluded, and it is taken 
in combination with milk, carbohydrates, and vegetables, as 
well as fruit, eggs forming one of the main components of the 
diet. With 4 eggs each day about 280 to 300 calories are 
obtained, which are about one-eighth of the daily nourishment 
required; and since in a diet not overrich in fat and carbohy- 
drates about 6 eggs daily would be required, we would already 
have about one-sixth of the total food necessary. The most 
important fact is, however, that with the 6 eggs we easily have 
a half or even more of the albumin ration necessary for the 
day, since they represent about 36 grams of albumin, of which 
but very little is lost. It will, however, only be possible to give 
so many eggs per day in the usual food, if an extremely limited 
quantity of meat is indulged in. Otherwise, with the simul- 
taneous absorption of added amounts of carbohydrates and 
fats, overnutrition and fatty degeneration would very soon 
occur. When, however, it is desired to bring about such a 
result, viz., in a fattening treatment, as a preventive against 
hereditary disease tendencies, tuberculosis, etc., eggs would be 
a most useful food, particularly for children or at the time of 
puberty, owing to the absorption of so much albumin, together 
with the lime, phosphorus, and iron. 

In the case of diabetics, for whom, for the reasons I have 
already given in my work, "On the Ways and Means of Treat- 
ing Diabetes," it would be most rational to exclude meat from 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 165 

the diet for a certain time, the taking of eggs together with 
milk free from sugar, and with green vegetables, may give 
very good results, especially since they do not increase the 
sugar secretion, except in very aggravated cases of diabetes. 

An Qgg diet is indicated wherever the albumin of the body 
is deficient or lacking, as after exhausting illnesses. When 
cooked they form an excellent food in kidney troubles, as their 
albumin does not at once come into contact with extractives 
which might irritate the kidneys. It is quite erroneous to look 
upon their use with fear in cases of this sort, for even in 
chronic inflammatory conditions of the kidneys no injurious 
effects will follow. Although the taking of a great many raw 
eggs does cause a secretion of albumin even in healthy persons, 
we should not refrain from their use, since the albumin which 
is eliminated is the unchanged albumin. Several boiled eggs 
daily may be taken without the least fear in kidney troubles; 
indeed, it has been observed that patients having chronic af- 
fections of the kidneys can often take a number of eggs with- 
out any noticeable increase in the amount of albumin excreted. 

In addition to their high content of nutritive organic and 
mineral substances, eggs have the very decided advantage of 
being useful in the kitchen for a great variety of purposes and 
in the preparation of many excellent dietetic foods. The eggs 
may themselves gain in nutritive value if combined, e.g., with 
carbohydrates, in which they are lacking. When eggs are 
mixed with fine wheatflour we have a more complete food, 
which contains all three of the important classes of food sub- 
stances. Of this nature are macaroni, egg-noodles, and other 
similar foods which contain the yolks of eggs. It may be found 
very advantageous to combine beaten eggs with sugar and 
good wine, thus forming the easily digested "Chaudeaux"; 
from white of Qgg, combined with sugar and cornstarch, corn- 
flour, "mondamin" maizena, etc., blanc mange can be made, 
which is also very digestible. Eggs generally combine very 



166 Health Through Rational Diet. 

well with cornflour, and I remember that in my childhood days 
dear departed mother gave me a drink made of cornflour, the 
yolk of egg, milk, and honey when I had a cold, and that this 
acted very beneficially. Indeed, I often longed to catch cold 
in order to get some of this agreeable beverage. Eggs mix 
well with milk, and in this way the nutritive value of each is 
considerably increased. Raw eggs may be given in milk. As 
they are not very easily digested, — not only because they do not 
induce a sufficient secretion of saliva or of gastric juice, but 
also because of the keratin membrane contained in the fluid 
portion of the egg, — it is perhaps advisable to strain this fluid 
through a piece of thin linen, or, better still, after one minute's 
boiling, to put only the yolk of the egg into the milk. Cream 
and eggs also mix well. The nourishing properties of certain 
foods which do not furnish any very great amount of nutritive 
substance can be much enhanced by the addition of eggs. I 
frequently recommend to my patients the addition of the yolks 
of 2 eggs, previously boiled for one minute, to a vegetable 
puree, as of spinach, or to mix them with carbohydrates as in 
oatmeal porridge, or with soup. This addition also greatly 
improves the taste ; that of milk is likewise improved by the 
addition of yolk of egg. It is, of course, necessary that only 
eggs of the very best quality be used. The question of good 
quality and taste is perhaps more important in eggs than in 
many other food substances, as eggs, at the best, have not so 
very much taste. They must be fresh for drinking, — the very, 
choicest eggs; in fact, in general the very best quality should 
always be purchased, notwithstanding their comparatively high 
price. As with all foods of animal origin, much depends upon 
the care bestowed upon the animals furnishing the eggs. 
Chickens thrive best when kept in the open air, just as do cows, 
and give the best eggs under these conditions. Eggs laid when 
the hens are fed upon corn are usually better than when the 
food consists of worms and insects. It must be remembered 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 167 

in feeding chickens that they are expected to furnish in the 
eggs a food which should contain much albumin and fat, as 
well as lime, since the shell of the egg is also to be considered. 
These substances should therefore be supplied in their food, as 
in oyster-shells, for instance, which they will eat greedily if 
the shells have first been pulverized. Unfortunately, fresh 
eggs are often only to be had in the spring and summer; late 
in the autumn and in winter they are difficult to obtain, and 
then the stored eggs must be resorted to. The process of 
storage should also be hygienically conducted. Eggs will keep 
best in a 10 per cent, solution of potassium silicate, or in a 
dilute glycerin solution. Keeping them in lime-water is less 
satisfactory. Great care must be taken, in storing eggs away, 
that the hands be perfectly clean. One should never suck eggs 
having a dirty shell, nor forget that it is possible that injurious 
germs may penetrate through the shell of the egg, and may 
destroy it. The typhoid bacteria, as well as the vibriones of 
cholera, may enter the egg in this way, as has been experi- 
mentally proven. 1 Thus, even in such an excellent food sub- 
stance death may be in hiding. 

2. Fish-roe and Caviar. 

It is really remarkable that such a useful food as that 
afforded by fish-eggs is not more used. I have, myself, ex- 
perimented with the roe of various fishes, even some kinds 
seldom used. I ate this food daily for some time; and while 
some of the varieties really have but little taste, when fried in 
butter, they constitute quite an agreeable and at the same time 
very nourishing food. They contain much albumin and fat. 
According to my experience, they are also easily digested. 

Fish-eggs are most frequently used in the form of caviar, 
as the eggs of the sturgeon are called. These fish have from 

1 After Piorkowsky, Zorkendorfer, and Wilmt. 



168 Health Through Rational Diet. 

10 to 20 kilos of roe, which is cleaned and the surrounding 
skin and fibers removed, and then preserved in salt. Th< 
quality of the caviar depends upon the quantity of salt used 
the most expensive is the "malosol" variety, which, as the 
name indicates (malosol means in Russian "little salt"), con- 
tains but little of it. The color of this caviar is not black like 
that of the cheaper grades, but gray. The taste is very mild. 
It would be a most excellent food if available for most purses ; 
as it is, a tablespoonful of the finest Astrachan caviar, as an 
introduction to the meal, can only be partaken of by the rich. 
The eggs of this variety are much larger than that of the other 
sorts from fish found in the Elbe River. As far as nourish- 
ment is concerned, the poorer qualities of caviar are quite 
good, and, like fish-roes in general, deserve much more appre- 
ciation as a food of great nutritive value. According to 
Konig, 1 caviar contains 30 per cent, of nitrogenous substance 
and 16 per cent, fat in its natural state ; also 6 per cent, common 
salt. As has already been said, such large amounts of salt are 
not good, especially in cases where the kidneys are affected. 

The above proportion of salt only occurs usually in the 
Astrachan caviar; the other varieties contain even more. 
Niebel says that the caviar made from the Elbe fishes contains 
from 9 to 1 1 per cent, of common salt. 

It is therefore unfortunate that the great nutritive value 
of caviar cannot be made use of, for when we eat enough to 
derive nourishment from it we at the same time absorb much 
of the injurious common salt. We are thus forced to content 
ourselves with fresh fish-roes as a nourishing food. Caviar, on 
the other hand, may be taken in small quantities to stimulate 
the appetite. It does this very energetically, and induces a 
good flow of digestive fluids. I find, however, that only the 
"malosol" caviar is easily digested. 

A fact which makes fish-eggs even more valuable for us is 

1 Konig : ii, 572. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 169 

their content of most valuable nutrients for the brain and 
nervous system. Gobler states that the eggs of the carp con- 
tain 3.04 per cent, of lecithin and 0.2 per cent, of cerebrin. In 
order that caviar may not have an injurious effect, it should 
only be taken when it does not taste sour or too salty, and 
when it has no odor. 

(e) Milk Diet. 
1. Milk and its Importance. 

That which principally characterizes milk as a food, and 
places it above other nutritive substances, is the fact that it 
contains all of the main nutrient groups, thus rendering it a 
complete food. This is proven by the fact that young animals, 
and young children, too, live upon it and are developed by 
means of it. It is, to be sure, necessary for the proper develop- 
ment of the young animals, and of nursing children, that the 
milk should be taken in the condition in which it occurs in the 
mammary glands of the corresponding species. Development 
is sometimes furthered by milk of a foreign nature, but the 
latter is not to be compared with mother's milk. Bamberg has 
recently experimented, in the children's clinic at the Charite 
in Berlin, with germ-free, raw, foreign milk, in comparison 
with cooked, foreign, germ-free milk. The children fed upon 
the raw milk thrived well, but the best results were obtained 
when they were nourished in the natural way. A series of 
other experiments have also proven that animals as well as 
man thrive and develop much better upon the maternal milk. 

It is sometimes impossible to give the milk of the mother 
or of a wet-nurse, and it then becomes necessary to resort to 
the milk of animals. That most used, as is w r ell known, is 
cows' milk, which, while it contains very valuable nutritive 
substances and mineral salts, nevertheless differs greatly from 
human milk. That which most nearly approaches it is the 
milk of the ass, and the next is mares' milk. 



170 Health Through Rational Diet. 



Cows' milk contains on an average 35 to 40 grams of 
nitrogen substances per liter, together with 40 to 45 grams of 
milk-sugar and from 40 to 50 grams of fat. This will show 
what a valuable nutritive food milk is, for when only 1 liter 
of milk is taken in a day about 600 to 650 calories are taken, 
thus about one-fourth of the total amount of nourishment re- 
quired per day. When 4 to 5 liters are taken in one day all the 
nourishment required will be furnished — for a certain length 
of time — as may be seen in the various milk cures resorted to 
for diabetes, gout, fatty degeneration, or heart affections. It 
is to be remembered, however, that in order to do well on a 
milk diet it is necessary to take a rather larger quantity of milk 
than that corresponding to the required number of calories, 
because milk taken alone is not so well assimilated, owing to 
the fact that the flow of saliva and digestive fluids is not 
greatly stimulated by it. But little saliva is mixed with the 
milk, and consequently the carbohydrate content is poorly 
digested. Madinaveitia therefore recommends that when 
taking milk it should be kept in the mouth for a little while 
before swallowing it, and rolled about as much as possible, so 
that the saliva will be secreted, which will make the milk more 
digestible. While milk taken alone is poorly digested and 
assimilated, this can be remedied by taking some bread or 
cheese with it, as has been shown by Rubner. 

He found in one case that 8.3 per cent, of the nitrogen, 

6.4 per cent, of the fat, and 41. 1 per cent, of the nutrient salts 

contained in the milk were not assimilated; in another case 7 

per cent, of the nitrogen, 7 per cent, of the fat content, and 

24.1 per cent, of the salts were eliminated unused. When 

cheese was then taken with the milk, only 3.8 per cent, of the 

nitrogen, 7.1 per cent, of the fat, and 37.5 per cent, of the salts 

were lost. We see from the above how very poorly the nutrient 

salts in milk are assimilated. 1 The digestibility and assimila- 

1 Rubner: Zeitschrift fur Biologie, 1879, S. 115; 1880, S. 119, and 
1897, S. 57. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 171 

tion of milk depend to a certain degree upon whether it is 
taken raw or cooked. As a general thing, it may be said that 
raw milk is better digested and assimilated. Jessen 1 showed 
that 600 c.c. of raw milk remained three and one-half hours in 
the stomach ; skimmed milk, the same length of time. Sour milk 
was better digested, for it only remained three hours in the 
stomach. That most poorly digested was cooked milk, which 
remained the longest time (four hours) in the stomach. This 
goes to show that sour milk and buttermilk are best digested. 

According to Listow, sterilized milk is more poorly as- 
similated than raw milk. He also found that milk is better 
digested when bread is taken with it. 

The assimilation of milk is better accomplished in chil- 
dren than in adults. This is shown by the experiments of 
Rubner and Heuber. 2 

According to Praunitz, milk is more poorly assimilated in 
the intestine in adults than other animal foods. At all events, 
we can certainly say that meat is much better assimilated in the 
intestine than milk. The following table shows the assimila- 
bility of the various kinds of milk and milk products, together 
with their composition, according to J. Konig 3 : — 



Kinds of Milk. 



Cows' milk . . 
Goats' milk . 
Sheep's milk 
Asses' milk. . 

Butter 

Fatty cheese. 
Lean cheese , 



Composition. 



Z o 

o u 



26.21 
35.59 



fc * 



3.68 

4.07 

6.18 

1.37 

83.70 

29.50 

12.35 



i- a 

Cti 4> 

3 U 
OS 4J 

£4 



4.22 



Proportion assimilated. 



3.19 
3.53 
4.89 
1.79 
0.55 
24.90 
31.81 



3.49 

3.87 

5.87 

1.30 

81.19 

26.58 

11.11 



as 

Oh 



4.84 
4.55 
4.05 
6.01 
0.49 
3.32 
4.14 



1 Jessen: Zeitschrift fur Biologie, Bd. 19, S. 129, 1883, cited after 
Hutchison. 

2 Rubner and Heuber : Zeitschrift fur Biologie, 1898, xxxvi, i. 
3 J. Konig: "Chemie der Nahrungsmittel," ii, S. 1408. 



172 Health Through Rational Diet. 

The following is the nutritive value of the various kinds 
of milk and milk products : — 

In i liter or kilo there are contained : — 

Cows' milk 672 calories. 

Goats' milk 712 calories. 

Sheep's milk 943 calories. 

Asses' milk 187 calories. 

Butter 2473 calories. 

Fat cheese 3808 calories. 

Lean cheese 1875 calories. 

We see from the above that of the various kinds of milk 
sheep's milk is the most nourishing, and that cheese of all 
kinds has great nutritive value. When one drinks milk and 
takes bread and cheese at the same time, he will be well 
nourished, for in this combination we have an easily digested 
milk diet which will be sufficiently sustaining, as is shown in 
the case of shepherds, who often live for some time upon such 
food. This diet is rich in the most important nutritive ele- 
ments; in addition to large amounts of nitrogen, fat, and car- 
bohydrates, it contains other indispensable substances. Milk 
contains much lecithin ; woman's milk contains more of it than 
cows' milk. Burrow found in cows' milk 0.049 to 0-058 P^ r 
cent. ; in woman's milk, 0.057 to 0.060 per cent. Nerking 
and Haensel found in woman's milk lecithin to the amount of 
0.0799 P er cent., and in cows' milk between 0.04 and 0.11 per 
cent. ; goats' milk contained the same amount as woman's milk. 

Thus, it is plain that we absorb a considerable amount of 
lecithin when we take a quart of milk. Lecithin is said to favor 
the growth of young animals, and the digestion of fats is also 
improved by it. 

In addition to its great nutritive value and lecithin con- 
tent, milk possesses other advantageous properties, containing 
as it does such valuable salts as phosphorus and lime in con- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 173 



siderable quantities. According to J. Konig, Schrodt, and 
Fleishmann, 1 its composition is as follows : — 

Nutritive salt content of milk according to 

Konig Schrodt Fleischmann 

Potassium oxide 24.65 per cent. 25.42 per cent. 23.54 per cent. 

Sodium oxide 8.18 per cent. 10.94 per cent. 11.44 per cent. 

Calcium oxide 22.42 per cent. 21.45 per cent. 22.57 per cent. 

Magnesium oxide 2.59 per cent. 2.54 per cent. 2.84 per cent. 

Iron sesquioxide 0.29 per cent. 0.11 per cent. 0.31 per cent. 

Sulphuric anhydride . 2.52 per cent. 4.11 per cent. 

Phosphoric anhydride . 26.28 per cent. 24.11 per cent. 27.68 per cent. 

Chlorine 13.95 per cent. 14.60 per cent. 15.00 per cent. 

100.88 per cent. 103.28 per cent. 103.38 per cent. 
Minus acid for chlorine 3.28 per cent. 3.38 per cent. 

100.00 per cent. 100.00 per cent. 

We may thus observe how much phosphorus and lime is 
contained in milk. It is most unfortunate that, as has already 
been stated, the assimilation of both the organic nutritive sub- 
stance and the salts is incomplete. The lime, in particular, is 
very imperfectly assimilated ; according to Forster, as much as 
75 per cent, is lost in the child. In spite of all this, milk is a 
food from which our bodies absorb considerable lime. In iron, 
on the contrary, milk is poor; unskimmed milk contains 0.31 
per cent., and cream 2.84 per cent. ; cream is likewise richer in 
phosphoric acid. 

Very important substances also contained in milk, and 
which tend to make of it, as it were, a life-giving food, are 
certain ferments, which likewise help to render it more diges- 
tible. In boiled milk, these ferments are absent, thus making 
it a dead food in comparison with raw milk. Boiling and 
sterilization are unfortunately unavoidable when we are not 
certain of having pure, clean milk. As long as it remains in 
the udder of a healthy cow, the milk is certainly free from 

1 After Boettger, "Lehrbuch der Nahrungsmittelchemie," Leipzig, 
1910, S. 202. 



174 Health Through Rational Diet. 

germs. Near the external orifices of the udder bacteria are 
found which have penetrated from the outside ; therefore, that 
portion of the milk which is obtained first contains quite a 
number of these bacteria. The milking is, besides, often 
carried on in an uncleanly manner; more especially when the 
udder has not first been washed, the milk will contain a great 
many bacteria. These are not all of a harmless order; even 
the dangerous staphylococci and streptococci may be found 
among them. Some bacteria derived from the cow itself, as 
those of the mouth and hoof plague, can be transmitted to man. 
The transmission of tuberculosis from the cow to man is most 
improbable, as the milk of such cows is used with impunity. 
This has lately been shown by the numerous experiments made 
under the auspices of the Imperial Board of Health. In a large 
number of cases in which the milk of tuberculous cows had 
been taken for some time there were no injurious results; harm 
resulted only in a very few instances, always in individuals 
predisposed to tuberculosis. 

The danger of contracting the disease through the agency 
of milk is not very great. The germs of other diseases, par- 
ticularly those of typhoid fever and diphtheria, may be much 
more dangerous — they are often transmitted and cause actual 
epidemics, as I personally observed several winters ago during 
a stay in Copenhagen. The German Imperial Health Bureau 
proved infection by milk to have occurred in 51 out of 126 
cases of typhoid fever during an epidemic. It is to be remem- 
bered that the typhoid germs thrive well in milk and increase 
rapidly in its lukewarm temperature. Heim found them living 
after thirty-five days, and the tubercle bacilli after fifteen days, 
even in sour milk. 

In addition to typhoid-fever epidemics, diphtheria epi- 
demics may also be caused, as has been stated by Power and 
Danger. According to Schlechtendal, at least 27 typhoid 
epidemics were caused from 1891 to 1901 owing to negligently 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 175 

conducted dairies. The bacteria primarily find their way into 
the milk from dirt and unclean surroundings in general, or, 
again, through intentional watering of the milk. The surest 
way of preventing infection by milk is to have it sterilized. 
Even then a few germs remain, sometimes even of a dangerous 
character. 

It is an interesting fact that, as was shown by Heim, the 
cholera bacilli soon die in raw milk, while in sterilized milk 
they remain active for ten days ; the same results were reported 
by the Imperial Health Bureau; the diphtheria bacilli do not 
thrive as well in sterilized milk as in raw. Sterilization and 
the boiling of milk may, in general, be regarded as good pre- 
cautionary measures against a possible bacterial infection, but 
they have the disadvantage that not only the ferments, but also 
certain other important substances contained in the raw milk, 
may be impaired. Indeed, milk contains the same immunizing 
agents as are present in the blood, namely, alexin and opsonin, 
which, together with the internal secretions of various glands, 
enter into the milk from the blood. It would lead me too far 
to go into the details of this subject here, but I would call at- 
tention to the fact that the presence of the internal secretions 
in milk is shown in that in children having an inherited weak- 
ness of the thyroid gland no symptoms of this condition 
develop as long as they are taking the maternal milk. When 
the nursing has ceased, these symptoms, as a rule, very soon 
make their appearance. The various substances mentioned 
pass out from the mother into the milk. Fortunately, this is 
not the case with alcohol. 

2. Various Kinds of Milk : that of the Sheep, Ass, 
Goat, and Mare. 

That sheep's milk, among all the various varieties, is the 
one containing the most nourishment has already been stated 



176 Health Through Rational Diet. 

in the previous chapter. It is strange, therefore, that we very 
rarely use this milk, especially since it does not have the un- 
pleasant odor peculiar to goats' milk, and also since about 5 to 
6 liters of milk are given daily by the milch sheep. It is only 
in very few regions in Europe that the sale of this milk is 
regularly conducted, as in the Dutch province of Friesland. 
The finest milch sheep are to be found here, and the sturdy 
Frieslanders cannot understand why sheep's milk is not used in 
the other portions of the kingdom so celebrated for its dairies. 
The author also considers this neglect as unjustifiable. Outside 
of Friesland, the greatest number of milch sheep are to be 
found in Iceland, and in the Pyrenees, the Appenines, and in 
Corsica. In the latter country the sale of sheep's milk exceeds 
that of cows' milk. 

The chief characteristic of sheep's milk is the amount of 
fat contained in it. This can be increased by feeding with 
substances containing oil. 

The average composition of sheep's milk is, according to 
Konig, as follows : — 

Specific Water. Casein. Albumin. Fat. Milk-sugrar. Ash. 

weight. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

1035 85.99 9.17 0.98 6.18 9.17 0.9 

When evaporated it contains: — 

Protein. Fat. Milk-sugfar. Nitrogren. 

31.33 per cent. 37.60 per cent. 38.84 per cent. 4.59 per cent. 

The fat content is here very striking; none of the varieties 
of milk which are generally used contains as much. Hence, the 
fact that sheep's milk is principally used in making cheese. 

Sheep's milk also contains quite a considerable amount of 
iron. The ash contains 1.01 per cent, of oxide of iron, and 
also 30.17 per cent, of phosphorus, 7.63 per cent, of chlorine, 
and 31.12 per cent, of lime. 

Asses' milk is characterized by a decidedly sweet taste, 
and also by the fact that it is more easily digested than any 



Good and Eznl Effects of Various Food Substances. 177 

other kind of milk. Its use is therefore indicated in the case 
of very weak persons, and feeble children can be best brought 
up with it when the maternal milk fails. The fact that it so 
closely resembles mother's milk makes it very useful for suck- 
ling children. 

The composition of asses' milk and of maternal milk is as 
follows : — 

In the natural milk are contained : — 





Water. 


Casein. 


Albumin. 


Fat. 


Milk-sugar. 


Ash. 




Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Asses' milk 


. .90.05 


0.79 


1.06 


1.17 


6.19 


0.47 


Average of 














woman's milk 


. .87.78 


0.80 


1.21 


3.74 


6.37 


6.30 



It is quite a remarkable fact that among all animals the 
ass is the one whose milk most closely resembles human milk. 
Already in ancient times quite a number of healing properties 
were ascribed to asses' milk, and Nero's consort, Poppse, when 
on a journey, always took along 500 asses, in order to be able 
to bathe in their milk. 

Asses' milk is, in fact, worthy of much greater attention 
than it receives, and should be more frequently employed. Its 
rather sweet taste is not agreeable to every one, and its high 
price is against its general use. This could be remedied, how- 
ever, by raising the animals in great numbers. Another dis- 
advantage is the fact that this milk does not keep well and must 
be taken soon after it is milked. It is owing to this peculiarity 
that, in regions where the animals are raised for their milk 
supply, they are taken to the door of the consumer and are 
there milked. In Barcelona one sees the asses going about 
with covers bearing on the one side the inscription "Approved 
by the" and on the other side "College of Physicians." 

Asses' milk contains fewer bacteria than other kinds of 
milk. It is also a noteworthy fact that asses are not subject to 
tuberculosis. Because of its great similarity with woman's 
milk and its digestibility it is much used, especially in France, 



12 



178 Health Through Rational Diet. 

for the bringing up of delicate children. I am acquainted with 
several young people in that country who were fed with asses' 
milk, and who grew up in good health. In comparison with 
the widespread use of this milk in France, Catalonia, and 
southern Italy, its very limited use with us is striking. Its 
very high price is probably the chief reason, and this is possibly 
greatly owing to the fact that the ass is very capricious and 
obstinate and often objects to being milked. This animal, 
which is so greatly censured on account of its lack of intelli- 
gence, is, after all, not so stupid as it is said to be. The ass- 
mother is in fact not such a "donkey" as to be willing to give 
her milk, which is none too abundant, for the benefit of strange 
children, when she needs it so badly for her own young. 

Goats' milk resembles that of the cow in some respects, 
but it contains more albumin and particularly more fat than 
the latter. As in the case of sheep's milk the fat content can 
be increased when substances containing fat and oil are in- 
cluded in the food. This variety of milk also deserves more 
attention than it receives, especially since the upkeep of a goat 
entails but little expense, as the animal is much less particular 
in regard to the quality of its food than is the cow, for instance. 
The smell of the milk, however, is detestable; but this objection 
might be overcome by keeping the bucks (whose sexual tend- 
encies are much more pronounced than in most domestic 
animals) out of the stables. The greatest care must be exer- 
cised in regard to absolute cleanliness, and in this way the milk 
may be kept free from any objectionable odor. 

According to my personal experience, while staying on the 
island of Capri, where this milk is much used, I found it much 
more digestible than cows' milk. The composition of goats' 
milk is on an average as follows, according to Konig (vol. ii, 
P- 6 53) :— 

Specific Water. Casein. Albumin. Fat. Milk-sugar. Ash. 

gravity. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. 

1030 86.88 2.87 0.89 9.07 9.69 0.85 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 179 

3. Sour-milk Products: Sour Milk, Kefir, 
Koumiss, Jogurt, etc. 

When milk remains for a time in open vessels, various 
forms of fungi fall into it from the air ; among them, also 1 , the 
Bacterium acidi lactici. In summer especially fermentation oc- 
curs at a temperature of from 20 ° to 30 ° C. The milk-sugar 
may, in a greater or less quantity, be transformed into lactic 
acid. Owing to this acidity, the milk coagulates and, by the 
agency of the lactic acid, the casein is rendered more digestible, 
especially when, as in kefir, this action is continued for two' or 
three days. The longer this fermentation process lasts, the 
more the milk-sugar is fermented. In this way the sugar 
content of such milk, especially of a several days' old kefir, is 
considerably diminished, so that it is less injurious for diabetic 
patients than ordinary milk, with its rather high content of 
sugar. 

When such a fermentation process occurs in milk through 
the action of special bacilli, instead of those of various kinds 
which enter it promiscuously from the air, a series of very 
valuable sour-milk products can be obtained. Kefir, for in- 
stance, is formed by two kinds of bacilli, one a yeast bacillus, 
the Saccharomyces mycodermia, and the other the Bacillus 
Caucasicus, which forms yellowish-white clumps. These tiny 
clumps may be bought in the drug-stores. Kefir of one day's 
standing contains only a very small amount of alcohol, which 
is formed by the decomposition of milk-sugar by means of kefir 
yeast; on the second day there is more, and three days' old 
kefir contains still more. The milk is rendered much more 
digestible by this process. A portion of the casein is trans- 
formed into a soluble product, and the rest forms very tiny 
coagulated flakes. The older the kefir, the more hemialbumoses 
and peptones it contains. Kefir stimulates the digestion, and I 
have frequently obtained very good results by its use in cases 



180 Health Through Rational Diet. 

where ordinary milk was not tolerated. The best results were 
observed in nervous dyspeptics and neurasthenics in general, 
who also gained considerably in weight. According to the ex- 
periments of Gilbert and Chassevant, the kefir made from 
skimmed milk is more easily digested. They found that a liter 
of such kefir of two days' standing was digested one hour 
earlier than a two-day kefir made from whole milk. 

The finished kefir contains, according to Konig, ii, p. 747, 
as follows : — 

Water. Total proteids. Albumin. Acid albuminate. Hemialbumose. 

88.86 per cent. 2.80 per cent. 0.78 per cent. 0.20 per cent. 0.18 per cent. 

Peptone. Pat. Milk-sugar. Lactic acid. Alcohol. 

0.03 per cent. 2.76 per cent. 2.52 per cent. 0.98 per cent. 0.98 per cent. 

The koumiss prepared from mares' milk is very similar to 
kefir in its action, and is a beverage much liked by the Tartars 
and on the Steppes of the Kirgises. Already, in the time of 
the old Scythians, the antecedents of the Magyars, koumiss was 
a favorite drink, as stated by Herodotus. While in London I 
frequently drank koumiss made with cows' milk and the 
koumiss ferment in the Aylesbury Dairy, and found it very 
digestible, although I did not like the somewhat sweet-sour 
taste. Koumiss is quite expensive, and its curative properties 
are probably not any greater than those of kefir; in fact, its 
greater alcohol content might be considered a disadvantage, 
for, while kefir contains only 0.89 per cent, of alcohol, the 
quantity contained in koumiss is 1 per cent, more, — 1.72 per 
cent. It contains 2.27 per cent, of albumin, 2.12 per cent, of 
fat, and 1.98 per cent, of milk-sugar. Its nutritive value is 
almost 100 calories less per liter than that of kefir. 

The above-mentioned sour-milk products all have the 
property of combating the decomposition process in the intes- 
tine. When too much albumin is taken in the food, a portion 
of it may not be absorbed in the upper intestine. In the colon, 
then, where the intestinal flora is exceedingly abundant, its 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 181 

action causes decomposition, and products may be formed the 
absorption of which would result in injurious effects in the 
organism. It is in this process that sour milk and the other 
above-named products have such a favorable action. Accord- 
ing 1 to the experiments of Metchnikoff, the Bulgarian sour 
milk, jogurt (pronounced "jort," in the Bulgarian language), 
possesses this action to a much greater degree. Metchnikoff 
is inclined to attribute the longevity of the Bulgarians, among 
whom many centenarians may be found, to the daily use of 
jogurt. This product forms one of the most infallible agents 
in causing a disinfection of the intestine, which action is pro- 
duced by the lactic acid, as has been proven by the experiments 
of Leva in the Strauss Polyclinic in Berlin. 

Jogurt is produced by the aid of the maja bacilli. The 
milk is first cooked for a long time, about two hours, so that 
it thickens and loses about one-fourth of its amount ; it is then 
cooled to about 40 or 45 ° C. The maja is then added and it 
is allowed to ferment at 45 ° C. In about five hours the milk 
is coagulated. It has a very sour taste. Some of my patients 
do not much like it, and it is not always well tolerated, as it 
very frequently causes acid eructations and fermentation in the 
intestine; for this reason its use — as well as that of the other 
sour-milk products — is not indicated in cases where there is 
acidity of the stomach. By many persons, however, it is well 
tolerated, and it then forms a very beneficial and healthy food. 
In addition to its disinfecting property, it also has a laxative 
action, and is likewise a pronounced diuretic. It is unfor- 
tunate that, as I have mentioned above, it is so frequently not 
well borne. It should, however, always be tried whenever its 
use is indicated, and should only be abandoned when its abso- 
lute intolerance has been proven. 



182 Health Through Rational Diet. 

4. Various Milk Products: Cream, Buttermilk. 

When milk is left standing the fat comes to the top, and 
when the milk is drunk the first portion taken tastes much 
better, and is also more nutritious, owing to the fatty content. 
The upper part of the milk contained in a bottle or in a large 
pan is the cream, or, as it is called in Carlsbad, the "schmetten," 
or "sahne." The name "obers" used in Austria fully ex- 
plains itself. 

The chief characteristic of cream is its great amount of 
fat, out of which butter is formed. Formerly the cream was 
obtained by leaving the milk undisturbed in a cool place, in 
large vessels or pans. In many sections — in Flanders, for 
example — it is still done in this way, as I have myself ob- 
served; and since the milk sours so easily, and also absorbs 
any kind of unpleasant odor, the farmers are very particular 
in keeping every one outside of these hallowed precincts. It 
is a very interesting fact that these farmers are most careful 
in not allowing their wives or their maids to enter while preg- 
nant or during their menstrual period. They probably attrib- 
ute some injurious influence to the changed condition of the 
breath, owing to the prevalence of gastric disturbances at such 
times. When we consider how easily a slight souring of the 
milk may occur, their anxiety does not seem to be unjustified. 
As a matter of fact, the cream obtained in this primitive way 
often has a slightly acid taste, and sometimes it is positively 
sour. It was consequently a blessing for the milk industry, 
when its centrifugal treatment was inaugurated. The Alpha 
separator invented by the Swede, Bernstrom, has probably 
proved to be the most efficacious. With this mechanical device 
great cleanliness is possible, and the quantity of cream and 
butter obtained is greatly increased. Souring of the cream is 
also prevented ; it always remains sweet. 

Cream is a food of great nutritive value, and has a very 
pleasant taste. It is much indulged in — in the form of whipped 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Foo'd Substances. 183 

cream (with 40 per cent, fat) — by the young girls in Germany. 
To be sure, it has the disadvantage of being very indigestible, 
like fats in general, and when, therefore, these young maidens 
indulge in their favorite tarts with whipped cream, about two 
hours before their evening repast, they spoil their appetites 
for this much more important meal, thus causing a deficit in 
their diet. Taken after a meal, cream is a splendid agent to 
promote fattening. As every one knows, it is also used in 
coffee, and greatly improves its taste. In the kitchen it serves 
as an addition to soups — thus increasing their nutritive value — 
to meat gravies, etc. As already mentioned, cream contains a 
considerable quantity of many important nutrient salts. It 
contains much more magnesia, and iron, in particular, than 
whole milk. 

The portion of the milk which is left after the cream has 
been taken off is the skim milk, which, unfortunately, too often 
masquerades as whole milk. It is, to be sure, not so> very poor 
in nutritive qualities, as it still contains the casein and the sugar 
content of the milk, and also some little fat, except in the case 
of milk which has been centrifugally treated, in which there 
is very little fat. This milk is very useful when it is employed 
in making bread, for bread is not at all rich in albumin — 
especially rye bread — and what there is is not well assimilated. 
The nutritive properties of bread are therefore much increased 
by the addition of milk. "Milk breads" and "dairy breads" 
are much used in Vienna and throughout Austria in general. 

A very useful milk product is the fluid which remains after 
butter has been made, namely, the buttermilk. This is probably 
used in no country to the extent that it is in Holland. It is 
highly recommended by our Dutch colleagues, and not without 
reason, since it is particularly easy to digest. This is quite 
comprehensible, since the butter, containing all the fatty and 
indigestible component parts of the milk, has been removed. 
The lactic acid which is contained in buttermilk, which has not 



184 Health Through Rational Diet. 



been centrifugally separated, makes it all the more valuable, 
because of the properties which we have already mentioned. 
According to Rivet, the bacterial flora is no greater when 
buttermilk is used as food than is the case with maternal milk. 
Buttermilk has a favorable action upon the bowels, and 
is also mildly diuretic. In view of the above, and when we 
remember that it also contains very valuable nutritive sub- 
stances, we must consider it as the most healthful milk drink. 
According to Kirchner, its composition is as follows : — 

Water 90.50 per cent. 

Fat 0.85 per cent. 

Proteins 3.75 per cent. 

Milk-sugar, lactic acid 4.15 per cent. 

Ash 075 per cent. 

In Holland buttermilk is usually made from sour milk, 
and its action is consequently more beneficial than in that which 
is obtained centrifugally. 

Buttermilk can be made at home by anyone, by simply 
beating or churning sweet or, preferably, sour milk. A very 
practical apparatus for this purpose is manufactured in various 
sizes in Zeist, in Holland, which can be taken along when 
traveling, so that one is able to prepare one's own buttermilk 
at any time or place. 

When milk turns sour, the casein is eliminated owing to 
the action of the lactic acid, and the milk coagulates. This can 
be even better accomplished by the addition of a ferment, — 
rennet. The entire casein content is then eliminated in a very 
short time, and a light-yellow fluid remains, which, after the 
butter is removed, forms the whey. This is the milk fluid 
deprived of casein and of the greater part of its fat, so that the 
sugar is the only remaining nutritive substance. Since the 
amount of sugar varies between 4 and 5 per cent., whey is not 
to be recommended for diabetics. On the other hand, it may 
be most beneficial in the treatment of constipation, and in dis- 
eases of the stomach and intestinal canal. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 185 

In health resorts, such as Carlsbad, whey is often used 
to supplement the general treatment. It likewise contains a 
certain quantity of lactic acid, usually from 3 to 4 per cent., 
which adds to its beneficial effect. 

According to Fleishmann, whey is composed, in the fol- 
lowing proportions, of : — 

Water 93.31 per cent. 

Fat 0.10 per cent. 

Albumin 0.27 per cent. 

Milk-sugar and lactic acid 5.85 per cent. 

Salts 0.47 per cent. 

All things considered, buttermilk is preferable to whey, 
and, first of all, for the reason that it is more nourishing. 
Whey is, however, more easily digested by weak stomachs. It 
may also be mentioned that whey is rich in certain nutrient 
salts, such as calcium phosphate, of which it contains 21.04 
per cent., and calcium chloride, of which the ash contains 49.94 
per cent. 

5. Cheese. 

When milk is soured by any form of acid, it coagulates; 
the casein is eliminated and cheese is formed. Salting and 
ripening are not really necessary features in the making of 
cheese, as there are some varieties of cheese, such as the 
Gervais, or fresh-cream cheese, for example, in which these 
processes are not resorted to. 

For the wholesale and rational, cleanly manufacture of 
cheese, rennet is used. Young animals, such as calves, goats, 
and lambs, have much pepsin (rennet) in the mucous mem- 
brane of their stomachs, from which it can be removed with 
common salt, thus forming an extract. When a small quan- 
tity of this liquid extract is added to milk which has previously 
been heated to about 30 or 35 ° C, the milk will, after a time, 
coagulate. The cheesy substance is then pressed and molded, 



186 Health Through Rational Diet. 

and is afterward salted. The quantity of salt added varies 
according to the nature of the cheese being made. The cheese 
is then placed in cellars and is allowed to ripen, — a species of 
fermentative process caused by bacterial action. The nature 
of the cheese depends not only upon the good quality of the 
milk, but also upon the kind of bacteria which are acting upon 
it during the ripening process. A great variety of schizomy- 
cetes, or fission fungi, as well as many yeasts and hyphomy- 
cetes, or mold fungi, are active in the transformation. In 
many of the Dutch cheeses, such as Gouda, Limburger, etc., 
there is no yeast. During the fermentation process gases are 
developed, especially carbonic acid gas, and when they disap- 
pear holes in the cheese remain. In the making of i kilo of 
cheese, 10 or more liters of milk are required. 

The different varieties of cheese are produced according 
as sweet or sour milk, cream, or skim milk or whole milk is 
used, as well as according to the pressure exerted and the 
quantity of water which the milk still contains. 

Gervais and various cream cheeses are made from cream, 
or whole milk and cream, and are either not pressed at all or 
only very slightly so. Some cheeses, as the Gervais and cream 
cheese, are not subjected to any ripening, or they may be 
ripened like the Neuchatel, Brie, Strachino, Hagenberger, and 
Schwarzenberger varieties, or like the MacLaren Canadian 
cheese, so well known in England and America. These cheeses 
are distinguished by the fact that they contain a great deal of 
fat, which exceeds the quantity of albumin. 

Soft cheeses made from whole milk — the fatty cheeses so 
greatly used by us, namely the Brimsen, Liptauer, and Sieben- 
biirger varieties — are all made from sheep's milk. 

Hard cheeses are subjected to heavy pressure, and in their 
preparation the milk is first cooked. From fat-containing milk 
the Emmenthaler, Edam, Chedder, and Chester cheeses are 
made ; the Roquefort, another rich cheese, is made from sheep's 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 187 

milk. From semifat milk — the whole milk of the morning 
milking and the skimmed evening milk — Gruyere and Parme- 
san cheeses are made. 

The varieties containing the least fat are the Danish ex- 
port cheese, the Swedish kiimmel cheese, and those made from 
sour milk or buttermilk, such as the Mainz hand cheese, 
Topfen, and Quargeln, and the cheeses made from whey. 

We shall now give a table of the various cheeses and their 
composition according to Hutchison 1 : — 



Brie 

Carembert . . 

Chedder 

Cream cheese 
Dutch cheese 

Gruyere 

Parmesan . . . 
Roquefort . . . 
Stilton 



Water. 


Proteids. 


Fat. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


40.7 


32.9 


31.0 


48.6 


21.0 


21.7 


31.9 


31.4 


26.8 


37.0 


8.6 


35.9 


32.9 


30.8 


17.8 


39.1 


31.5 


28.2 


30.0 


43.8 


16.5 


25.1 


39.8 


31.5 


27.6 


23.9 


18.9 



Ash. 
Per cent. 



4.5 
4.4 
3.9 
1.5 
6.7 
4.0 
5.9 
5.5 
3.1 





Nutrient Salt Content of 


the Swiss Cheeses. 2 




Potash. 


Soda. Lime. Magnesia. Iron 
oxide. 


Phos- 
phoric Sulphuric Silicic 
acid. acid. acid. 


Chlorine. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 


Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 


Per ct. 


2.46 


33.01 17.82 0.81 0.17 


20.0 45.0 0.08 


33.61 



The chief characteristic of cheese as a food is that it prob- 
ably possesses the highest nutritive value of any, and also offers 
the most albumin, exceeding in this respect meat and the most 
nourishing among the vegetable foods. When we remember 
that with i kilo of cheese we obtain 3808 calories we are surely 
justified in considering it the most nourishing food, since, 
moreover, it contains the three main elements of our nourish- 
ment. If an adult person takes during a day y 2 kilo of rich 
cheese, y 2 liter of milk, a large piece of white bread, and suffi- 

1 Hutchison : hoc. cit., p. 144. 

2 E. Wolff, after Albu and Neuberg. 



188 Health Through Rational Diet. 



cient butter for the latter, he will have a full ration, and there 
is probably no mode of nourishment which is more wholesome 
and less injurious for the various organs of the body. Cheese, 
notwithstanding its great nutritive content, does not lead to 
the formation of uric acid, nor does it irritate the kidneys or 
the liver, if the kind used is not too old. Old cheese certainly 
does not possess the hygienic properties of fresh, soft cheese; 
but it is often more easily digested, its albumin content having 
become peptonized. It may sometimes, however, contain sub- 
stances having a toxic action, as has been shown by Vaughan. 
For a healthy person cheese is an easily digested food, and 
it is also very well assimilated. It assists in the digestion of 
other foods; thus, macaroni is more readily digested when a 
finely grated cheese, e.g., Parmesan, is sprinkled over it; the 
same is true in the case of Indian corn (Kukuruz). While 
cheese is well digested by a healthy stomach, the case is quite 
different where this organ is weak. In such conditions it is 
better to forbid the use of cheese, for the fat, especially in hard 
cheeses, is digested with difficulty, and even the albumin is not 
easily acted upon by the gastric juice, since it is surrounded 
by fat. The fat contained in the fresh, soft varieties of cheese 
should, in general, be more readily digested. Fatty cheeses 
of the nature of Gervais may be advantageously used where 
there is overacidity of the stomach; but not the old cheeses, 
especially Edam or similar varieties. Great care must be 
taken that the soft cream cheeses, such as Gervais, are per- 
fectly fresh, for rancid cheese is very apt to cause digestive 
disturbances. Just like fresh, unsalted butter, the unsalted 
cream cheese does not keep well, and must be used when quite 
fresh. When one has very good teeth, and thoroughly masti- 
cates the hard cheeses, they are not so hard to digest. In order 
to assist the digestion of cheese, it would be well to follow the 
advice of Robert Hutchison, viz., to take as much bicarbonate 
of soda as will cover the point of a knife with every quarter- 
pound of cheese. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 189 

Cheese may be especially valuable when it is taken in ad- 
dition to a vegetable diet, since but little albumin is obtained 
from the latter, — a fact which may bring about dangerous 
results. These will be described in another portion of this 
work. 

6. Butter and Oleomargarine. 

Good fresh butter is the most savory and probably also 
the most easily tolerated of all fats. Its principal advantage 
over other kinds of fat is that its fat is not inclosed in cells, but 
consists of free globules, so that it is more easily acted upon by 
the digestive fluids, and more readily digested. Yet, butter 
is only a desirable and easily digested food when it is quite 
fresh and has not become at all rancid. A certain amount of 
free fatty acids are required in butter, for .these give it taste 
and aroma. In large establishments it is customary to inoc- 
ulate the cream with certain kinds of bacteria to cause the 
formation of a small quantity of acid. The best taste and the 
finest aroma will be found in the butter when the cows feed in 
meadows ; in this way it also has a fine yellow color. During 
a journey from France into Spain at the end of the winter, 
while still in France, I had white butter which was the product 
of stable feeding; as I went farther south, the color of the 
butter became more yellow, and the taste was greatly im- 
proved, the cows having there been turned out into the 
meadows. 

The manner of feeding cows greatly influences the quality 
and color of butter. With foods containing much chlorophyll 
the yellow color is obtained ; unfortunately, however, this may 
also be artificially produced by saffron, curcuma, and yellow- 
turnip juice. 

Butter should be kept in a cool and dark place, since light 
and heat affect it injuriously. Heat soon causes it to become 



190 Health Through Rational Diet. 

rancid, but when it is stored in a cool place it will keep a week 
or even longer. It is best, however, to eat butter as fresh as 
possible. When butter is subjected to a high temperature free 
fatty acids may be engendered, and it is consequently better to 
use fresh butter with one's food, instead of the browned butter 
which is obtained at a high temperature, since the latter may 
irritate the stomach by the quantity of fatty acid thus formed. 
Fresh butter, even when taken in considerable quantities, is 
readily digested by a healthy stomach, and even a weak 
stomach will tolerate a fair amount of it. The results are 
quite different, however, with a slightly rancid butter, which 
often has injurious effects on the digestive apparatus. Butter 
made from sour cream will keep longer, as about 2 per cent, 
of salt is added to it. Nevertheless, I do not consider the 
practice of salting butter as it is usually done in Holland, 
Scandinavia, north Germany, and everywhere in North 
America as healthful as the use of fresh, unsalted butter, since 
the increased salt content is often injurious for the kidneys. I 
find, also, that salted butter never tastes as good as the fresh, 
unsalted kind ; the salt may cover certain defects in the quality 
of the butter, but does not prevent possible injurious effects. 
The great value of butter lies principally in the fact that when 
added to other foods it much increases their nourishing quali- 
ties. According to Konig, butter contains : — 

Fat 87.0 per cent. 

Casein 0.5 per cent. 

Milk-sugar 0.5 per cent. 

Water 11.7 per cent. 

Thus, to absorb much fat in a digestible form, butter will 
be found a perfectly ideal food, and all the more so since it 
is likewise largely taken up or absorbed by many foods which 
otherwise would have but little nutritive value, and are never- 
theless indispensable for us, such as green vegetables. Their 
taste is also greatly improved; Brussels sprouts, for instance, 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 191 

certainly taste much better when butter is added. Potatoes 
and bread seem very dry without butter, and children find their 
bread and butter taken during the recess at school a most de- 
lightful food. 

Butter being so sought after and so much liked by all, it is 
not to be wondered at that it has been imitated and artificially 
manufactured. While Napoleon III was devoting special at- 
tention to the army, he attempted the manufacture of an artifi- 
cial butter at Mege-Mouries ; this was successfully accom- 
plished under his orders, and was the origin of oleomargarine. 
This consists of a mixture of beef-fat, or in fact of any animal 
fat, and milk. The fat, which is principally kidney-fat, is 
melted or drawn out. An emulsion is then formed with milk 
and water, making a kind of buttery compound. If all oleo- 
margarines were made in this way, there could be no great 
objection to their use. It is certainly better for the poor to eat 
a good oleomargarine than a very poor quality of butter. But 
here again the poor are defrauded, for lately the animal fat has 
been largely replaced by vegetable fats, which would not of 
itself be so bad were it not that they are often of a very in- 
ferior quality. Instead of using the finer grades of edible oils 
the very poorest are used, and the melted animal fat, which 
forms the principal constituent of oleomargarine, is mostly re- 
placed by tallow. 

Were we simply to judge a food according to its nutritive 
value, not much fault could be found with oleomargarine, for 
the nutritive value of a good quality is about the same as that 
of butter. While I do> not disguise my dislike for oleomar- 
garine, I may say that it is principally due to an antipathy for 
the imitation of a natural substance by an artificial one, which 
antipathy is common to all normal people. I would also call 
attention to the fact that the principal difference between 
oleomargarine and real butter lies precisely in that property 
which is most prized in our foods, namely, the taste. Even 



192 Health Through Rational Diet. 



when made from the very best ingredients oleomargarine 
never approaches butter in its taste ; it does not have the same 
amount of free fatty acids. This peculiarity may prove an 
advantage in certain diseases, as, for instance, in severe dia- 
betes, in which the fatty acids must, in so far as is possible, be 
eliminated from the food. In a normal person it is quite 
different, and the saponification of butter in the intestine is 
more easily accomplished than is the case with oleomargarine. 
When, however, the taste and fine aroma of butter are lacking, 
the most important characteristic of food substances in general 
is lost, and I, as an advocate of good butter, know that when 
it does not taste fresh and good I have no appetite for it and 
use a much smaller quantity. While experiments have shown 
that digestion and assimilation of oleomargarine are equally 
as well carried on in animals, and perhaps also in man, as with 
butter, I nevertheless find a great difference in the appetite 
with which an aromatic, pale-yellow, fresh, natural butter, such 
as is made in Teschen, for instance, will be taken and that 
with which the same person will eat a fatty and tasteless oleo- 
margarine. If what Father Cats said three hundred years ago, 
in his old Dutch dialect — "wat smaekt dat voet" (what tastes 
good nourishes) — is true, then oleomargarine cannot be as 
satisfactory as butter. It has the advantage, however, of not 
becoming rancid, and for those who have not the means to 
buy butter oleomargarine is certainly a useful substance. 

When we consider, however, how often the falsifiers sell 
artificial butter at the same price as the real, we shall welcome 
the fact that the government authorities require oleomargarine 
to be declared as such. 

This, however, is only possible in the markets ; in hotels 
and restaurants the guest does not have this certainty, and no 
doubt the author has during his travels frequently eaten oleo- 
margarine instead of butter, or a butter largely mixed with 
oleomargarine. Supervision by the authorities in the form of 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 193 

examinations of artificial foods should consequently not only 
be carried on in the markets, but be extended to the kitchens 
of hotels, etc. Of course, we do not here refer to hostelries 
of the best class, for every intelligent guest would surely 
notice whether the butter placed before him was good or not, 
and no sensible proprietor would imperil the reputation of his 
house by lowering -the quality of a food product which plays 
such an important role in the preparation of the meals. 



7. Hints Concerning the Advantages of a Milk Diet, 
and its Practical Use. 

Milk is our most valuable food, and there is no other 
which affords greater service in maintaining the health of man- 
kind. That this is the case is best proven by the fact that 
among those who not only attain the age of 100 years, but even 
exceed it, we find many who live solely upon milk, or in whose 
diet milk occupies a very prominent place. 

That a person living chiefly upon milk may reach the nor- 
mal limits of a lifetime, or even go beyond it, is not surprising 
when we remember that there is no form of diet which exerts 
so marked a protective influence upon our organs as that of 
milk. By virtue of the absence of a large amount of ex- 
tractive substances, a food is provided for the liver and kid- 
neys, as well as the blood-vessels, which contains as little 
material as possible of an irritating nature. Since no uric acid 
is formed by it, milk is one of the best preventives against 
gout. Since, with a milk diet, lactic acid is formed in con- 
siderable quantities in the intestines, the development of an 
injurious intestinal flora and the formation of decomposition 
products are prevented, — a fact which, according to Metch- 
nikoff, is of great importance for the prolongation of life. 
I might add also, as has already been stated, that milk contains 
the secretions of the ductless glands, which, as we have shown 

13 



194 Health Through Rational Diet. 

in our work on "Old Age Deferred," govern all the life proc- 
esses, and upon the condition of which longevity depends. 
We not only absorb in the milk the secretion of the thyroid 
gland, but also the internal secretions of other organs, and, at 
the same time, milk provides a food by which such organs as 
the thyroid, the adrenals, the liver, kidneys, etc., are best pro- 
tected and enabled satisfactorily to carry on their functions of 
detoxication. Milk can, however, only be accepted as really 
good when it is taken as it comes from the cow, that is, raw, 
and when there is certainty that it has been obtained from a 
healthy animal with the most stringent precautions. The 
cows must be kept in a thoroughly clean stable, from which 
the dejecta are carried off by special drainage. The milking 
staff should consist of healthy persons, who should put on 
clean white clothes for the milking and carefully wash their 
hands just before beginning. The udders should also pre- 
viously have been washed. The process of milking could be 
accomplished in a still more cleanly manner if it were carried 
on by means of a suction apparatus operated with an air pump. 
After the milking the milk should at once be cooled and then 
be placed in sterilized bottles, as is done in the dairy of the 
Hagendorf domains, near Carlsbad, where the walls of the 
stalls are enameled and everything is conducted under the 
strictest hygienic precautions. Here the cows are frequently 
examined by veterinary physicians (this should, of course, 
always be the case) and the milk is only taken from cows 
which do not react to tuberculin. 

It is necessary to keep the milk at a low temperature, as 
otherwise, with the milk in a lukewarm condition, the develop- 
ment of bacteria is facilitated, so that after one or two hours 
the originally small number of these organisms is increased 
to many thousands. 

The country would certainly have many more inhabitants 
if the obtaining of milk were controlled by the government ; the 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 195 

infant mortality, especially during the summer, would thereby 
be reduced. When, owing to fear of the milk containing 
bacteria, children are fed upon pasteurized or boiled milk, they 
do not develop as well. That the same is true in the case of 
animals has been shown by the experiments of Behring. 
The experiments conducted by Palmer, of Chicago, who fed 
700 children upon raw milk during the midsummer months 
and only lost 3 out of the number, are most instructive in 
this connection. As Monrad says, referring to the results 
obtained by Palmer, the history of all his cases showed that 
the miserable atrophied children began to live from the 
moment treatment with raw milk was begun. I wish to add 
here that lactic acid bacilli are always present in raw milk to 
a greater or less degree, and that they prevent the formation 
of large numbers of other bacteria, such as those of typhoid 
fever, for instance. The latter cannot develop in raw milk, 
which may nevertheless give rise to the disease, since the bac- 
teria are not destroyed immediately by the lactic acid bacilli. 
When the milk has been boiled or sterilized, however, typhoid 
bacilli which have gotten into it will remain in it for months, 
as well as other forms of poisonous bacteria which are in- 
jurious in children and are the cause of the so, greatly dreaded 
summer diarrhea. Barlow's disease in children has also been 
ascribed to the habitual use of boiled milk. 

When raw milk free of all objections cannot be obtained, 
it is advisable to use another milk product, — buttermilk. This, 
to be sure, is also milk, but it contains more lactic acid and less 
fat ; milk prepared by Soxhlet's method is likewise indicated. 

It is not only milk that may contain the bacteria, but also 
the products obtained from it, such as cream and butter. In 
large establishments the butter is also pasteurized, which proc- 
ess is less damaging to butter than it is to milk, since the 
former is merely a fat-containing food, and the fat loses 
nothing by pasteurization except some of its taste. Butter 



196 Health Through Rational Diet. 



treated in this way never tastes as fresh and good as the 
natural butter, nor does it have the same aroma. The bacilli 
of tuberculosis and of other diseases, such as typhoid fever, 
have not infrequently been found in butter. Teichert found 
tubercle bacilli in 22 per cent, of the Posen country-made but- 
ter. In view, however, of the quantities of butter which we 
regularly eat, a normal person need not fear its use. 

Having overcome the obstacles in the way of obtaining a 
milk free from bacteria, we encounter another difficulty. If 
we are to take large amounts of milk, we must find it agreeable 
to the palate, or we shall soon grow tired of it. In order to 
get a really good, rich, palatable milk — a food containing as 
much fat and nitrogen as possible— the cow must be fed with 
substances containing these elements. Here, as elsewhere in 
the field of our nutrition, the following principle holds good: 
In order to reap well, we must sow well. When the poor cow 
has been cheated by unscrupulous dealers, and swallows saw- 
dust or shavings in admixture with her food, she has plenty 
of material in her stomach, but it is not of such a nature as will 
increase the quantity or improve the quality of the milk. A 
nitrogenous food such as grass or corn favors the production 
of more fat in the milk, which is not accomplished by the 
simple addition of oil to the food. Potato peelings and 
brandy mash give an unnatural taste to the milk. The very 
best and most natural method of feeding is in the open 
meadow: the cows eat more and give much purer and better 
milk. Some cattle owners dislike to lose the manure in this 
way, but it should be remembered that the fields themselves 
are fertilized while the cows are feeding. The great fertility 
of the plains of Canada is said to be due to the fact that for 
hundreds of years they were fertilized by the bisons which 
were grazing upon them. That flatulence and diarrhea are 
sometimes caused in the cows by the dewy grass does not 
affect the milk in any way, if care and cleanliness are exercised 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 197 

so that the excreta do not contaminate it. The finest and 
best-tasting milk is to be found in those countries in which the 
cows are always in the fields, as in Holland and in England. 
From the fertile reclaimed swamps of Friesland the finest 
quality of milk and of butter is obtained. Damp countries 
like Holland, Denmark, and England have the finest grass and 
clover, and consequently furnish the best milk and butter. 
Much can be done to improve the quantity and quality of the 
grass when the ground is manured. As clover contains much 
potash and nitrogen the ground should be fertilized with these 
substances. 

Even though the very purest and best milk be obtainable 
it may happen that its use will be interfered with, owing to 
difficulties from the standpoint of the consumer which will 
render the drinking of it impossible. 

Some persons possess an antipathy to milk, which, in its 
ordinary form, is not well tolerated by their stomachs. This 
is especially noticeable in women and young girls. In such 
cases the milk may be diluted one-third with some alkaline 
mineral water, such as Biliner or Vichy-celestins. The addi- 
tion of some fine flour may also render the milk more digest- 
ible and, hence, better borne. Small children, too, sometimes 
prefer milk given to them in this form. For those who can- 
not tolerate ordinary milk at all the more easily digested 
buttermilk may be of great service. 

At all events, the milk products, such as butter and cheese, 
may be used in such cases. It would be a good thing for us 
to adopt the custom which prevails in America, of eating some 
butter with each meal. In the restaurants there, butter is 
furnished without charge, along with the other food ordered. 
Unfortunately the butter is always salted in America, and, 
while it may be preferred in this way by some, it is by no 
means as healthful as fresh butter. 



198 Health Through Rational Diet. 

The use of cheese after each meal at which much meat has 
been partaken of would be advisable; in healthy persons it 
would be of service in favoring the assimilation of food, and 
where an abundant meat diet is taken intestinal decomposition 
will be hindered by the use of cheese and butter. 

The other advantages of a milk diet will be treated of in 
the chapter on the milk-vegetarian diet. 

8. Additional Note Concerning the Benefit Occasionally 
to be Derived from a Glass of Hot Milk. 

We have already emphasized the fact that milk should 
be taken raw. Circumstances may present themselves, how- 
ever, when a glass of hot milk will exert a beneficial influence 
upon the system. This is the case, for instance, where one 
has been out on a damp, cold, winter's day, and comes in 
feeling chilled. In cold, windy weather the activity of the skin 
functions are greatly diminished. The various poisonous 
products which are usually thrown off through the skin are in 
consequence retained, the result being a decided feeling of 
discomfort. 

These substances then find their way into the kidneys and 
exert an irritating action upon the delicate epithelia of these 
organs. Now, by drinking one or two glasses of hot milk, 
we greatly stimulate the activity of the skin. The circulation 
of the blood is increased, more blood flows toward the skin, 
and we feel much warmer. The irritating action of the sub- 
stances passing through the kidneys is diminished, and when 
hot milk is taken, together with irritating agents in the food, 
their action upon the various organs, the kidneys in particular, 
is less intense. 

In inflammatory conditions of the mucous membranes hot 
milk exerts a beneficial action. This is noticeable in colds, if 
early in the morning or on rising hot whey or hot milk is 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 199 

taken together with Ems water, or Giesshubler, Krondorfer, 
or Biliner. Even without the addition of such waters, warm 
milk will exert a favorable influence upon the irritated and 
inflamed mucous membranes. When, for instance, in acute 
gonorrhea the urethral mucous membrane is extremely sensi- 
tive, almost all pain in urinating may be avoided by the pre- 
vious ingestion of one or two glasses of hot milk. This is also 
the case in chronic gonorrhea when the urethra has been 
sounded; the severe pains accompanying the first passage of 
urine are considerably diminished after hot milk has been 
taken. 

In the presence of inflammatory conditions of the intes- 
tines, hot milk may prove more useful than other food sub- 
stances, especially if rice or sago in the form of a thin paste be 
taken with it. 

To warm the body up on a cold, frosty day, tea is often 
used; but from the standpoint of health milk is better, espe- 
cially where the kidneys are not absolutely normal. A small 
quantity of coffee or tea could, of course, be added to the milk 
to render it more palatable. Addition of the yolks of one or 
two eggs makes of milk a very strengthening drink after ex- 
hausting journeys in winter. 

For patients who are ordered to take large quantities of 
milk, but dislike it, too, the addition of yolks of eggs may make 
it more palatable. In some countries, e.g., in Spain, a few 
drops of an extract of orange flowers are added to flavor 
hot milk. 

While hot milk exerts a very favorable influence 'upon the 
more remotely situated mucous membranes, it may occasion- 
ally injure the buccal mucosa. It is best to have it served in 
porcelain glasses, and, when it is too* hot to drink, it can then 
first be poured into a cold, empty glass. 



200 Health Through Rational Diet. 



(/) Fats of Animal Origin. 

All foods, before they are absorbed by the intestines, 
must first be brought into a fluid condition. This rule holds 
good for the fats, and it is for this reason that such fats as 
are not soluble and do not melt at the temperature of our 
bodies are digested with difficulty. Lamb-fat melts at a tem- 
perature of 45 to 55 C. ; it is therefore very indigestible. 
Next in order in respect of digestibility comes beef-fat; its 
melting point is lower than that of lamb-fat, yet often exceeds 
40 C. Pork-fat is rather better, but it also melts at about 
40 C, and frequently even at a higher temperature. The 
Jews are wise in cooking with goose-fat, which has its melt- 
ing point always below 40 ° C. ; on the average it is 30 ° to 
35 C, but sometimes it is lower than that. Goose-fat is con- 
sequently the most easily digested fat, because its melting point 
is the lowest of any fat of animal origin. Its taste is pleasant, 
and it is more healthful than pork-fat. Butter made from 
cows' milk is also very wholesome, and, next to goose-fat, 
probably melts at a lower temperature than any other. For 
this reason it is quite justifiable to employ butter for daily 
use in preparing food. It is certainly not healthful to use 
beef-fat (drippings) for cooking, as is done in many hotels in 
England. I have learned from personal experience how fre- 
quently one has eructations and acid is formed in the stomach 
after its use. That lamb-fat remains for a considerable time 
in the stomach can often be noticed after one has eaten fat 
lamb for dinner. Fat, in general, retards the movements of 
the stomach. 

Fluid fat, such as fish-blubber and codliver oil, is not very 
indigestible, and both children and adults can tolerate quite 
a considerable amount of the finer varieties, although it has a 
much more unpleasant taste than other animal fats. It is 
certainly worthy of being much more generally used by weak, 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 201 

delicate adults, and by persons who have been debilitated by 
exhausting - diseases, than it is now, as it is well absorbed and 
assimilated. Animal fats in general are well assimilated, as 
has been shown in the case of milk-fats by the experiments of 
TscheniO'ff. Among the Eskimos, fish-blubber forms a large 
part of the diet ; in common with other northern peoples, they 
have a great predilection for fats. In Scandinavia butter is 
never absent from the table, especially in Sweden, where at 
every meal it is thickly spread upon the Swedish graham bread 
— "Knakebrod" — or upon white bread. 

This preference on the part of dwellers in cold climates 
for fats is probably due to the necessity of a food rich in 
calories, i.e., which will produce much heat; and fat, of all 
foods, is that of greatest value in this direction. Even in 
temperate climates the daily addition of a considerable amount 
of fat to the diet increases the nutritive value of the latter and 
improves the taste of the viands. Butter is best for this pur- 
pose, as has already been said; indeed, our food in general 
should be prepared with it; to vegetables, in particular, it 
should be freely added. Butter is far better than vegetable 
fats, as I have ascertained from personal experience. 

Fatty foods should be ingested by persons desirous of 
rapidly taking on flesh, since the fat absorbed from foods, if 
well digested and assimilated, will speedily produce this result. 
Too much fat, however, should not be taken at one time, as 
the assimilation of other foods will suffer. That fat should be 
avoided by the obese is self-evident; diabetics, on the other 
hand, by taking fats with vegetables may derive some benefit 
from their use. The butter which they use should, however, 
be well washed out and freed of fatty acids, as otherwise rapid 
formation of the dreaded acetone bodies may follow. Pigs' 
lard and certain vegetable fats containing the least amount of 
fatty acids, e.g., cottonseed oil (which, according to Salkowski, 
contains only 0.29 per cent.), would be preferable in such cases. 



202 Health Through Rational Diet. 



(g) Leguminous Vegetables and their Importance. 

When it is desired to absorb a large amount of vegetable 
albumin, it is best to rely especially on the leguminous varieties. 
These are so rich in albumin as to be unsurpassed in this 
respect by any other vegetable or even animal food. The 
difference between the albumin contained in animal tissues and 
that of leguminous vegetable foods lies in the fact that meat 
albumin is well assimilated, whereas this is not the case with 
that contained in legumes, when prepared in the usual way, 
even if they have been cooked for a considerable time. When 
used in the form of a puree they are more digestible and are 
better assimilated, so that no great amount is passed out un- 
used by the intestine. 

The special property which renders leguminous vegetables 
hard to digest and to assimilate is the quantity of cellulose or 
woody fiber contained in them, which greatly exceeds that 
present in the majority of other foods. This tough, horny 
substance prevents the action of the intestinal fluids upon the 
food, and thus there is lost not only a portion of the albumin, 
but also of the carbohydrate material, — although not so much 
of the latter as of the albumin. The carbohydrate content of 
leguminous vegetables is quite considerable, and in some, as 
in the soy bean, to which we shall refer at greater length 
in an appendix to this chapter, there is also a large proportion 
of fat. In order that these nutritive elements of the leguminous 
vegetables should be assimilated as completely as possible, the 
method of preparation and cooking is, however, of great 
importance. In the first place they must be cooked in soft 
water, since their albumin, which, owing to its great similarity 
to casein, has been called vegetable casein or legumin, forms 
together with the lime, when cooked in hard water, as stated 
by P. F. Richter, an insoluble combination which is but poorly 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substance's. 203 

assimilated. By the addition of a little bicarbonate of sodium 
to the water, this, however, can be avoided. According to P. 
F. Richter, 10.16 per cent, of the nitrogen and 19 per cent, of 
the nutrient salts are not assimilated from peas which, have 
been boiled in soft water ; from those cooked in hard water the 
nitrogen loss amounts to 16.60 per cent, and that of the 
nutrient salts to 42.22 per cent. 

The most advantageous mode of preparing leguminous 
vegetables is in the form of a puree, as by this method the 
greater part of the cellulose which interferes with digestion and 
assimilation is removed. The high albumin content of these 
vegetables is best utilized if, after the husks have been removed, 
the rest is ground to a fine powder and then mixed with some 
other flour less rich in albumin, e.g., rye flour. From this a 
bread is made which is much richer in albumin than that made 
from ordinary flour, and which well deserves the name of 
"Kraftbrot" (strength bread). The most nutritive of these 
breads is undoubtedly the soy bread, on account of the higher 
percentage of fat and, especially, the exceptionally large amount 
of albumin it contains. 

After the foregoing introductory remarks concerning the 
value of leguminous vegetables, we shall now present an analysis 
of the varieties most used when in a ripe, full-grown condition ; 
fresh, green vegetables will be further referred to> in a succeed- 
ing chapter. In addition to the percentages of the various 
nutritive elements, which we quote from Konig, 1 we shall also 
indicate what proportion of these substances is assimilated : — 



1 Konig, ii, p. 1488. 



204 



Health Throng) 



Rational Diet. 



Proportion of Substances Assimilated. 



Leguminous vegetables. 


o v o 


a 

a a 
o a> 
o o 


o5 
1 

j§8 


CO .J 


i 

®J2 n 


d 

I- 
35 a 

en a) 
ci u 


a) 

2-d 
-a » « 

8fiS 


So 




£ a ^ 


■W Uc 


i- ti 


s (-■ 


£'35 <- 


4-> i-i 




.2 u 




c o » 


a) a> 


cs a> 


4> <D 


£ Sq » 


c8 <U 


CS S 4) 






^8cu 


foO. 


OOh 


OCL, 


££oh 


foeu 


CJ«0< 


ocu 


Peas 


21.35 


1.88 


52.65 


5.56 


16.98 


0.60 


45.85 


27.16 


Lentils 


25.94 


1.93 


52.84 


3.92 


18.16 


0.58 


44.65 


27.18 


Garden beans 


23.66 


1.96 


55.60 


3.89 


16.56 


0.59 


46.98 


27.39 


Field beans 


25.68 


1.68 


47.29 


8.25 











In addition to this exceedingly rich and valuable nutritive 
content of the leguminous vegetables, there are also present in 
them quite considerable amounts of important nutritive salts — 
above all, a great deal of potash and phosphorus, and, in com- 
parison with other vegetables, also much lime. Of the latter 
they contain more than the cereals and many other vegetable 
products. 

The nutritive salt content of the vegetables already 
referred to is, according to Konig, 1 as follows : — 

Nutritive Salt Content of the Principal Legumes. 











« . 


a 

2 


5 . 


JV 


2 J 






£ a 


a 


a 




o « 


■= S 


3 a 


es a 


n a 




k 


. 0) 

•a u 


. 0> 

a * 


«l 


32 


a® 
to o 

2 ^ 




O 4) 

3^ 


s2 




O Q> 




45 0) 


* 0) 




J= ID 










cuPh 


CGPh 


►J Oh 


So* 


OQa 


eucu 


W I&0-K 


COOh 


oa. 


Peas 


41.89 
34.76 


0.96 
13.50 


4.99 
6.34 


7.96 
2.47 


0.86 
2.00 


36.43 
36.30 


3.49 


0.86 


1.59 


Lentils 


4.69 


Garden beans 


44.01 


1.49 


6.38 


7.62 


0.32 


35.52 


4.15 


0.57 


0.86 


Field beans. . 


41.48 


1.06 


4.99 


7.15 


0.46 


38.86 


3.39 


0.65 


1.78 



We find in the above a pretty high content of phosphorus 
— although the cereals contain more of it — and of phosphoric 
acid, which manifests itself in the acid condition of the urine; 
the leguminous vegetables therefore share this property with 
meat ; this applies also to their considerable nitrogen content. 



1 Konig, ii, p. 784. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 205 

The sulphur contained in certain leguminous vegetables, such 
as beans, is responsible for the flatulency caused by them. It 
is also important to note that these vegetables contain much 
lecithin — I per cent. As far as the digestibility is concerned, 
we see from the above table that the albumin contained in peas 
is best assimilated. This is due to the fact that peas are eaten 
without their shells. Green peas are best digested and assimi- 
lated, as we shall show elsewhere. They are also' most fre- 
quently used, for when peas are quite ripe and old they are 
very hard to digest and assimilate, but are nevertheless better 
in this respect than beans or lentils under similar conditions. 
According to Rubner, when large quantities of peas are eaten, 
14.5 per cent, of the dry substance, 27.8 per cent, of the 
nitrogen, 75 per cent, of the fat, 6.9 per cent, of carbohydrate, 
and the large amount of 3.5 per cent, of the nutrient salts are 
eliminated unused. Peas are much better assimilated when 
taken in small quantities, when only 17.5 per cent, of the 
nitrogen is lost. The best assimilation takes place when peas 
are eaten in the form of a puree; in this way they are assimi- 
lated about as are fine wheat flour and macaroni. 

We have already mentioned that leguminous vegetables 
contain considerable lecithin — more than the cereals. Peas 
contain 1.05 per cent.; other substances found in peas, namely, 
the purin bases, have, however, an injurious action, since they 
increase the formation of uric acid. According to* Walter 
Hall and the latest experiments of Bessau and Schmidt, they 
contain quite considerable amounts of these substances, but, 
nevertheless, not so much as do lentils ; peas contain 0.018 gram 
in 100 grams, while the lentils, which, among the legumes, 
have the greatest quantity of purin, contain 5 eg. in 100 grams. 

The best way to eat full-grown peas is in a puree, and 
they are usually prepared in this manner. In some countries, 
as in Spain, for instance, large dried peas, of a variety common 
in that country, are a universal and greatly liked food, and 



206 Health Through Rational Diet. 

these "Garbanzos" form, as I have seen, a daily addition to 
the diet, both there and in Mexico. They may, in a measure, 
be responsible for the obesity which so frequently affects the 
women of these countries. The puree form is decidedly pref- 
erable, but it has the disadvantage of being merely swallowed, 
with but little, if any, mastication. With such a puree some- 
thing hard should be eaten, as, for instance, a piece of rye 
bread ; in this way it would require mastication and would then 
be better digested. 

Puree of peas is rendered very nourishing when bacon or 
sausage is taken with it. This food is often given to the 
German soldier, who thus receives a truly nourishing diet, con- 
taining all three of the main groups of our foods, and for a 
soldiers' stomach it is not very hard to digest. Some people 
declare that the German army has accomplished its able work 
not only because of the efficient German instructors, but also 
because of the "Erbstwurst" (pea sausage), and it is certainly 
true that a sufficiently rich and complete food, such as this 
sausage, plays an important role — in reality much more impor- 
tant than is generally believed — in making an army capable of 
marching and of successful action. In pea sausage there is 
not very much meat, but the carbohydrates, vegetable albumin, 
and fat are all well represented. 

Lentils are also a valuable food. Since, however, accord- 
ing to Striimpel, they are but poorly assimilated after having 
been soaked and then cooked, — nearly 40 per cent., thus pretty 
nearly the half, of the albumin content being lost, — they, too, 
are best taken in the form of puree. They are then well 
assimilated, as was found by Striimpel, and only 9 per cent, is 
lost. I also observed that when boiled lentils were eaten in 
considerable quantities the undigested skins were present in 
the stools. 

That which makes lentils so nourishing is the rather large 
proportion of iron contained in them, particularly in the 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 207 

Egyptian lentils, which are the best variety. It is not only 
among leguminous vegetables, but among other foods as well, 
that lentils occupy a first position in regard to the iron content. 
When finely ground, they form a most valuable food, the 
"Revalenta arabica," which, as stated by Hutchison, contains 
22 per cent, of easily digested and assimilated albumin, 1.5 per 
cent, of fat, and 65.2 per cent, of carbohydrates. Owing to 
their limited sulphur content, lentils cause but little flatulence, 
and in the form of puree are really a food deserving of much 
more attention than is at present accorded to it. That lentils 
are so neglected as never to be included in the bill of fare in 
the best restaurants, notwithstanding their agreeable taste, is 
one of the incomprehensible anomalies too often met with in 
the present-day scheme of nourishment. 

Another leguminous vegetable, the bean, almost as health- 
ful as the lentil, is, on the contrary, very much used. Probably 
in no country in the world are beans more used than in the 
United States, as in the form of "Boston baked beans." One 
finds them in all the restaurants and buffet cars in the Union 
cooked with bacon, as "pork and beans." The experiments of 
Praussnitz show that the ripe white beans are poorly assimi- 
lated, even more so than other legumes, and this not only as 
regards the albumin, but the carbohydrates as well, of which 
17.5 per cent, are unused. Beans, too, are better digested in 
the puree form. A thick bean puree soup tastes very good and 
is easily digested. Whole beans as well as lentils often pass 
through the intestinal canal undigested (Praussnitz). Beans 
as an article of diet have the great disadvantage of causing 
decided flatulency ; there is hardly any other food either among 
the legumes or other varieties of food which causes this to 
such a marked degree. It is probably due to the large amount 
of cellulose and of sulphur contained in them. In fact, the 
disadvantage of inducing flatulency to a greater or less degree 
is common to all leguminous vegetables, and they have the 



208 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



additional drawback of causing acid eructations, to a much 
greater extent than many other foods, in persons who are 
predisposed to this condition; this is especially the case in 
nervous affections. Since they impose more work upon both 
the stomach and intestines, also causing more flatulency, than 
the majority of foods, leguminous vegetables should be strictly 
forbidden in stomach and intestinal diseases as well as in 
arteriosclerosis. Neither should they be allowed for persons 
suffering from gout, since they contain a considerable amount 
of purin bases, which favor the formation of uric acid ; lentils 
contain the most, peas come next, and lastly beans. Persons 
who fear to grow stout should eat but little of the leguminous 
vegetables, and the same may be said of diabetics. For the 
latter it is best, according to my experiments lately cited, to 
eat these leguminous vegetables whole, that is to say, with 
their skins, since they are not so well assimilated in this way, 
and consequently do not greatly increase the sugar secretion in 
mild cases of diabetes. These vegetables should form the 
principal portion of a vegetarian diet, as they alone contain 
albumin, that important nutrient, in appreciable quantities. 
For healthy persons the leguminous vegetables form the best 
vegetable diet. 



A do! end tint. Special Advantages of the Soy Bean. 

This vegetable, which grows in China, principally in the 
province of Manchuria, is really a curiosity among vegetable 
foods ; and since it is so very rich in various component parts 
of the main food groups, we are probably not going too far in 
calling it the most valuable plant we know of. Leguminous 
vegetables and cereals are rich in albumin and carbohydrates, 
but the soy bean not only contains these substances, but also 
another most valuable foodstuff, in which it far exceeds both 
the leguminous vegetables and cereals, namely, a large amount 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 209 

of fat. The albumin content of the soy bean is from 27 to 33 
per cent., the carbohydrates amount to between 10 to 35 per 
cent., and the fat content from 17 to 22 per cent. This is 
indeed a combination scarcely to be found in any other plant, 
and the nutritive value in the completeness of its composition 
surpasses the most valuable animal foods. Since it contains 
all three of our principal food groups, it plays much the same 
role as milk, while exceeding the latter in its wealth of nutri- 
tive substances. However, the soy bean offers the objection 
that when eaten whole nearly 5 per cent, is lost in the intes- 
tines, owing to the cellulose which it contains. This objection 
is done away with when it is eaten in puree form, or as a 
fine flour. Its great value in nutritive substances — fat, in par- 
ticular — as compared to the flour made from other vegetables 
will be seen in the following table : Nutritive value of various 
flours made from vegetables 1 : — 

Natural Substance. 





Nitrogen 
content. 
Per cent. 


Fat. 
Per cent. 


Carbohy- 
drates. 
Per cent. 


Raw fibers. 
Per cent, 


Bean flour 


23.23 
25.72 
25.71 
75.69 


1.19 
1.78 

1.86 
18.83 


59.92 
57.18 
56.79 


1.78 


Pea flour 


1.26 


Lentil flour 




Soy-bean flour 





On the other hand, the soy-bean flour is much poorer in 
carbohydrates, according to an analysis in the Laboratoire 
Municipal of Paris: 16.32 per cent. Owing to this property, 
von Noorden and Lampe manufactured a food for diabetics 
from the soy bean, called sarton, which, while containing very 
little carbohydrate, has a large amount of albumin. According 
to an analysis by Lecerf, 2 soy-bean flour only contains 2.794 



1 After Konig, ii, p. 815. 

2 After Gautier. 



14 



210 Health Through Rational Diet. 

per cent, of starchy substance. Another advantage of the soy 
bean is its large amount of phosphorus and lecithin. Of the 
valuable lecithin, it contains 1.64 per cent., 1 a quantity which 
is not reached by any other plant, with the exception of the 
lupines. 

All leguminous vegetables are rich in lecithin, especially 
lentils, but in this respect the palm must be accorded to the soy 
bean. It likewise exceeds the other leguminous vegetables and 
many other plants as well in its phosphorus content. As I see 
in the recently published "Dissertation on the Phosphorus 
Content of Various Indian Foods," by Jebbink, 2 the Dutch 
East Indian "Katjang Redden/' a variety of soy bean, con- 
tains 1. 19 per cent, of phosphoric acid. 

This wonderful vegetable, in addition to its valuable con- 
tents, has the further advantage that it can be used in so many 
useful foods. We have already referred to the flour made from 
the soy bean. From this, when mixed with white flour or any 
other desired sort, a bread can be made with such a high 
albumin content as is hardly otherwise possible; biscuits can 
also- be made from the soy-bean flour which are very valuable 
for diabetics, because of the low carbohydrate content. The 
products made with this flour have an agreeable taste, some- 
what resembling that of the chestnut. A kind of milk can also 
be extracted from soy beans, if they are allowed to lie in water 
for several hours and are then mashed or pressed out. And 
just as with any other milk, a cheese can be made which is 
very nourishing. Through fermentative action valuable nutri- 
tive products can be made from the bean : the To-fu cheese is 
most nutritious, and a sauce, "soy sauce," is also made from 
it, which looks exactly like meat extract, and, in my opinion, 
also tastes much like it. I found it a pleasant addition to other 
viands, and it is no doubt free from the injurious effects of the 

1 Konig, ii, p. 87. 

2 Jebbink : Loc. cit, p. 83. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances, 211 

genuine meat extract. An oil can also be made from the soy 
bean, and in Manchuria one sees in all the cities and many 
smaller towns such oil mills. They are, to be sure, of rather 
primitive construction, but serve to provide the Chinese of these 
regions with the fat so much in demand. A substance re- 
sembling butter, a thick cream, can be made from this 
wonderful bean; it tastes much like "Maroni creme." And 
lastly I must not forget to mention that when the beans are 
allowed to sprout under glass the sprouts do good service as a 
green vegetable. I tried to eat these sprouts raw, and found 
them quite palatable. I might also mention that a kind of 
macaroni is made from the soy bean, and Wein 1 states that a 
very good tasting soup can be made with these beans together 
with peas. They may also be cooked together with other 
vegetables, as potatoes and rice. A puree on the order of the 
Italian "polenta" can likewise be made. When the whole 
beans are eaten they are poorly assimilated, and, according to 
Csawa, 37.4 per cent, of the albumin is lost, while when eaten 
in the form of To-fu only 3.9 per cent, is lost. 

It would certainly be well to transplant these wonderful 
beans into Europe; they much resemble our beans, but are 
somewhat more round. There are yellow, green, black, and 
several other varieties. Attempts were made in France to 
plant this bean, but unfortunately when it becomes acclimatized 
in Europe it has a tendency to graft itself upon our native bean, 
and thereby loses its own properties. This might perhaps, in 
my opinion, be obviated by proper fertilization, for, while in 
Chinese soil the nutritive content of these beans is much 
greater, the cause probably lies in the fact that this soil, as has 
been shown by examinations recently made at Erfurt, is much 
richer in nutritive substances and salts — particularly phos- 
phorus — -than ours. It would therefore be necessary to ferti- 

1 After Konig. 



212 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



lize according to the composition of this plant, with a 
considerable amount of nitrogen and phosphates. 

(h) Cereals, 
i. The Various Cereals. 

If we class these fruits of the earth, to which we owe 
our daily bread, after the leguminous vegetables, it is because 
we wish to give the preference to those plants which furnish 
us with the greatest amount of the most nourishing substance, 
namely, albumin. This occurs in smaller quantities in the 
cereals. They, on the other hand, furnish a nutritive element, 
the carbohydrate, which is only second in importance to 
albumin. Rice, for instance, contains more of the carbohy- 
drates than any other food. The nutritive value of the cereals 
is consequently characterized by a large amount of carbohy- 
drates and a fair quantity of albumin; the latter occurs prin- 
cipally in wheat and oats. The third important component of 
our food, fat, is very poorly represented in them, and least of 
all in rice; corn and oats considerably more. The cereals are 
also rich in some of our most important nutritive salts, namely, 
phosphorus. Since we have previously given the quantities of 
the most important nutrient salts contained in each of the 
cereals, we shall now first give the chemical composition of the 
foodstuffs according to Robert Hutchison : — 



Cereal varieties. 



Wheat 

Oats 

Barley 

Rye 

Corn 

Rice, polished 

Millet 

Buckwheat . . , 



Nitrogen 
content. 
Per cent. 



11.0 
10.9 
10.1 
10.2 
9.7 
0.9 
10.4 
10.22 



Fat. 
Per cent. 



1.7 

4.5 



Carbohy- 
drate. 
Per cent. 



71.2 
59.1 
68.6 
69.5 
72.3 
76.8 
68.3 
61.3 



Cellulose. 
Per cent. 



2.2 

12.0 
3.8 
2.1 
2.0 
0.4 
2.9 

11.1 






Good and Evtt Effects of Various Food Substances. 213 

It is unfortunately the case that in the majority of these 
cereals much of the nutritive substance is lost to our bodies — 
that is to say, it is not taken up by the blood — before it can be 
freed from the outer indigestible portions. In this way not 
only a large amount of the nutritive albumin is not assimilated, 
but many nutrient salts, such as phosphorus, lime, and iron, 
are also lost. 

The finer the flour is ground, especially wheat flour, the y 
more of the nutritive substances are lost. Some cereals, such 
as millet, barley, and buckwheat, are very poorly assimilated 
by us, and consequently flour made from them is not much used 
in our country. We here show, according to Konig, 1 the com- 
position of various kinds of flour: — 



Fine wheat flour 

Rye flour 

Oat flour 

Corn meal 

Barley flour .... 
Buckwheat flour 



Proteids. 


Fat. 


Ca rbohy- 

drate. 
Per cent. 


Cellulose. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Percent. 


10.68 


1.13 


74.69 


0.30 


9.62 


1.44 


73.84 


1.35 


13.87 


6.18 


67.06 


1.71 


9.62 


3.14 


71.70 


1.41 


12.29 


2.44 


69.47 


0.89 


8.28 


1.49 


74.58 


0.70 



Ash. 
Per cent. 



0.52 
1.17 
2.07 
1.14 
1.85 
1.11 



Of these various flours, wheat flour is most usefed. A very 
fine quality of wheat flour comes from Hungary (especially 
from Banat) and the southern part of Russia. The very finest 
and best wheat is, however, grown in Canada, where, in the 
province of Quebec, I saw an almost unbelievable development 
of the ears and grains in corn and other cereals. The province 
of Manitoba furnishes a still finer quality. In this virgin soil, 
until recently entirely uncultivated, which still contains all of 
the nutritive salts, wheat is grown such as is found nowhere 
else. The value of wheat is determined principally by its 
albumin content, that is to say, the gluten; in this respect the 
Hungarian wheat is the finest, and I have never tasted better 



1 Konig, i, p. 625. 



214 Health Through Rational Diet. 

wheat bread than in Hungary, and perhaps in the northern 
part of the United States, in Minneapolis, where there are 
steam flour mills on the order of those in Hungary. It is not 
the fact of its being so finely ground which makes the Hun- 
garian meal so agreeable to the taste, but rather its rich content 
of gluten, salts, and other elements of taste. 

According to Rubner, 1 the percentage of nutritive salts in 
the dry substance of wheat is as follows : — 













Phosphoric 


Potash. 


Soda. 


Lime. 


Magnesia. 


Iron oxide. 


acid. Chlorine. 


0.62 


0.06 


0.065 


0.24 


0.026 


0.94 — 



Thus, considerable amounts of certain salts, especially 
phosphorus and lime, are found in wheat, but unfortunately 
they occur principally in the outer portion of the grain, which 
also contains the greater part of the glutinous substance, — the 
starchy substance is contained in the inner portion, — and in the 
finer qualities of flour the outer portion of the grain is lost. 
The more gluten there is in wheat flour, the greater its lime and 
phosphorus content. In very fine flour many valuable sub- 
stances — especially albumin and nutrient salts — are lost in the 
bran. According to Rubner, ioo parts of 

Dry wheat flour contains : — Wheat bran contains : — 
11.6 per cent, albumin 13.9 per cent, albumin 

1.3 per cent, fat 3.1 per cent, fat 

86.4 per cent, starch 81.9 per cent, starch 

While wheat flour thus contains an appreciable amount of 
bran, much of this is not taken up by the blood, but is eliminated 
unused. Rubner found that wheat bread is very poorly ab- 
sorbed, and that much more albumin and carbohydrate are lost 
when much of the bran is ground in with the flour. Fortu- 
nately not all of the bran content is lost, as 61.3 per cent, of 
albumin and 26.5 per cent, of carbohydrate and cellulose are 
nevertheless absorbed. It is of great importance that the bran 



1 Rubner : "Lehrbuch der Hygiene," 8th edition, p. 465. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 215 

be finely milled, and that the stomach and intestines be in good 
condition. 

Rubner's statement, that the German people would gain a 
yearly profit of 780 million of marks if bran could be as well 
assimilated by our bodies as flour, is most interesting. 

He estimates that in the very best mills 20 per cent, is lost 
as bran. If it were possible to grind this bran finer than it is 
now done, it could be better absorbed, and would be of great 
value to mankind. With wheat flour it is therefore of primary 
importance that it be finely ground, and fine bread is much 
better assimilated in general than the coarser varieties. The 
coarser flour would, however, be better assimilated if milk, or, 
still better, cheese, were to be taken with the bread. 

Rye flour, when it contains the bran, is very badly assimi- 
lated, according to Romney, however finely it may be ground. 
Rubner states that bread made from fine rye meal is assimilated 
about as very coarse white bread would be. The nutrient sub- 
stances in the outer covering of corn are not only very poorly 
assimilated, but, by irritating the intestinal canal, they also " 
cause a too early elimination of other useful substances, before 
they can be absorbed by the intestine. Coarsely ground corn, 
owing to the cellulose it contains, has a very irritating effect 
upon the intestinal mucous membrane, which might be an ad- 
vantage in cases of constipation ; in healthy persons, however, 
the use of much corn bread would cause too frequent bowel 
movements, and interfere with the assimilation of the food. 
Rye flour is best suited for strong constitutions, and by the 
sturdy northern races it is more used than wheat flour. While 
wheat is principally used for the finer varieties of breadstufTs 
consumed by the rich, rye flour forms the food of the poorer 
population. It is not deficient in nutrient salts such as iron and 
lime. Unfortunately the assimilation of the salts and other 
nutritive substances is very defective, according to Rubner, 
who states that in whole-corn bread only one-half of the nutri- 
tive value is absorbed. 



216 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



Oats, which are used in the north, principally in Scotland, 
and which contain more cellulose than any other cereal, are 
even more poorly assimilated. When oats are to be used, it is 
best to eat the products manufactured especially with a view 
to the digestibility, like oat flakes, Quaker oats, etc. ; in these 
by the action of heat the very indigestible cellulose husk or 
outer skin is burst open, and the starchy content is converted 
into a soluble and more digestible product. Oats in the form 
of gruel (like the porridge of Scotland) are very palatable 
when eaten with cream, and certainly I have never eaten better 
porridge than that served to me in Edinburgh, where I also 
acquired a taste for zwieback made from oats (oat cakes). Of 
course, I experienced the disadvantage that when porridge 
was swallowed too quickly — and was consequently not masti- 
cated — digestion and assimilation suffered. With oat cakes 
this difficulty is obviated, as they, like other oat breads, require 
considerable mastication. 

In my estimation a puree of oatmeal with two* yolks form9 
a very healthful food, in which the eggs not only greatly 
improve the taste, but also* increase the nutritive value. Very 
valuable preparations for children's use can be made with oat- 
meal, which render good service when taken with milk. In my 
practice in Carlsbad I obtained excellent results with oat flakes 
and oat gruel. The composition of both, according to Konig, 
is as follows : — 





Proteids. 
Percent. 


Fat. 
Per cent. 


Sugar. 
Per cent. 


Carbohydrate. 
Per cent. 


Oat gruel 


13.44 

14.42 


about 6 
6.78 


2.16 
1.40 


61.72 


Oat flakes 


62.58 







As by their use the irritating action of the cellulose is 
avoided, they form valuable foods, since, as can be seen in the 
above table, they contain a considerable amount of albumin 
and fat. Oatmeal is likewise not lacking in nutrient salts, as it 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 217 

contains, according to Konig, 7.92 per cent, lime, 0.85 per cent, 
iron oxide, 48.19 per cent, phosphoric acid, 1.95 per cent, 
silicic acid, and 5.93 per cent, chlorine. 

Oats (whole) contain, as stated by Konig, 1 the following 
percentage of nutrient salts : — 

Phosphoric 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Iron oxide. acid. Silicic acid. Chlorine. 

17.90 — 3.60 1.18 25.64 30.18 0.94 

The considerable lecithin content of oats is also note- 
worthy. Topler found that 11.90 per cent, of lecithin is con- 
tained in oat fat. We thus see what a valuable food oats 
furnish, particularly when taken with milk, in which manner 
they are better assimilated. Oats should be much more fre- 
quently used, especially in the form of oatmeal and oat gruel, 
than has been customary. Not only the horse, but man also, 
would thrive upon it. A very valuable statement is that of 
von Noorden, that diabetics can take considerable quantities 
of oat foods in combination with other vegetables without 
causing any increase in the sugar secretion; it is, on the con- 
trary, often diminished, as is also the case in acetonuria. 

Another very little used variety of cereal — barley — might 
be rendered very valuable for us, if specially prepared by heat 
in the form of barley flakes. In Sweden barley is often made 
into bread. It is, however, very indigestible when whole barley 
is ground, as was found by Osawa, for of the albumin content 
56 per cent, was eliminated unused, this being the case even 
with barley that had been ground and cooked. With us it is 
principally used in soup, as barley cream, gruel, etc. Barley 
water has long been used as a cooling drink in fevers. Barley 
plays its principal role with us when used in coloring beer. 
The American variety has more sugar and less dextrin, and the 
German less sugar and half as much again of dextrin. The 
ash of the dry substance contains the following nutritive salts, 
as stated by Konig : — 
1 Konig, ii, p. 773. 



218 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Iron Phosphoric Sulphuric 

Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia, oxide. acid. Silicic acid. acid. Chlorine. 

Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 

21 2.39 2.64 8.83 1.19 33.10 26 1.80 1.02 

Buckwheat is also very little used with us (in Austria) ; 
its large amount of cellulose makes it very indigestible, and it 
is badly assimilated. It could be made a valuable food if pre- 
viously prepared by the removal of the cellulose, as is the case 
with the Knorr buckwheat. It would be valuable for the prep- 
aration of bread and pastry for diabetics. The ash contains 
appreciable quantities of nutrient salts, 1.74 per cent, iron 
oxide, 48.67 per cent, phosphoric acid, 3.07 per cent, of potash; 
the soda content is comparatively high, 6.12 per cent., and there 
is also 1.30 per cent, of common salt. Buckwheat flour is of a 
dark color; in some countries it is used for making bread. In 
Styria and in the adjoining portions of Hungary, dumplings 
called "Nocklen" and "Sterz" are made from a mixture of 
this and other kinds of flour; they form an appetizing article 
of diet, which is sometimes also used in intestinal catarrh. 

The cereal least used in our country is millet; it is, how- 
ever, the national food, so to speak, of many negro tribes. 
Notwithstanding the considerable amount of cellulose — accord- 
ing to Konig, 12 to 18 per cent. — it is not unpleasant as a 
food ; 53 per cent, of the nitrogen content is lost. When it is 
taken in the form of a pap or gruel with milk or water, with a 
little butter or even lard added, I have found that it tastes quite 
good. As it contains valuable nutritive substances, it should 
find greater appreciation among our poorer classes than is the 
case at present. Its deficient assimilation can be allowed for 
by taking more of it. Of the three cereals, barley, buckwheat, 
and millet, buckwheat is best assimilated. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 219 

2. Concerning Foods made with Flour, and Noodles. The 
Useful Properties of Macaroni and of Certain Kinds of 
Pancakes. 

The principal varieties of flour above mentioned, and par- 
ticularly fine wheat meal, can be made to serve as very useful 
foods by preparation into a dough with the addition of water, 
salt, and a small quantity of potato, preferably as potato flour. 
The so-called "flour foods" so much used in Austria-Hungary, 
and often especially well prepared in private houses and the 
best hotels, are made from this dough. They are of great 
nutritive value because of their high carbohydrate content, 
which is still further increased by the addition of butter and 
other fats. To be sure, these * 'flour foods" are sometimes 
rendered quite indigestible by the additions referred to, par- 
ticularly if the potatoes have not been properly prepared 
beforehand. The further addition of poppy seeds, nuts, pre- 
serves, etc., may make them still more indigestible. The most 
easily digested of them are noodles, which are made from such 
dough rolled into thin sheets and dried. They are also well 
absorbed in the intestine, and their assimilation is improved 
when the yolks of a few eggs are added to the dough. Maca- 
roni, which is rich in gluten, is also well assimilated. Rubner 
found that when macaroni or noodles contained only a limited 
quantity of albumin 17 per cent, thereof remained unused, but 
that in those rich in gluten only 1 1 per cent, was lost. Maca- 
roni is a very valuable article of diet, chiefly because it is very 
nutritious ; it is especially so when eggs have been added, which 
is very rarely the case in the varieties offered for sale. 
The commercial noodles, poor in eggs, the so-called "water 
noodles," contain, according to Konig, 1 10.88 per cent, nitro- 
gen, 0.62 per cent, fat, 1.36 per cent, sugar, 2.10 per cent, 
dextrin, J2 per cent, starch, 0.42 per cent, cellulose, and 0.64 

1 Konig, ii, p. 343. 



220 Health Through Rational Diet. 

per cent, ash, together with 0.261 per cent, total phosphoric 
acid and 0.0228 per cent, lecithin-phosphoric acid. The nutri- 
tive quality of egg-noodles prepared at home is much greater. 
In these, when at least 4 eggs have been used to* the kilo of 
flour, Konig states that there is contained nearly 4 per cent, 
more of albumin, which thus amounts altogether to 15.16 per 
cent. ; more total phosphoric acid, 0.392 per cent., and above 
all more lecithin, 0.12 12 per cent. 

We have every reason, therefore, to accord a first place 
to macaroni as a nourishing food, for even the ordinary com- 
mercial varieties represent per kilo the very respectable total 
of 3360 to 3600 calories, so that if an adult should eat J4 kilo 
of macaroni per day he would fare very well. Nor would his 
nourishment be very one-sided, for it would contain albumin 
and carbohydrates ; it would only be somewhat lacking in fat. 
Combination with it of some grated cheese, such as Parmesan, 
would furnish some albumin and fat, and would also aid in its 
assimilation. We can thus understand how it is possible for 
the poorer classes among the Neapolitans to live chiefly upon 
such a diet, just as the Eastern Asiatics live upon rice. Even 
though they may, as I have myself seen, share their living 
room with a chicken, turkey, or even a pig, the meat of this 
much-beloved family companion is only eaten at Christmas, 
and during the rest of the time they are enforced macaroni- 
eaters and vegetarians. We can learn much, however, from 
their frugal way of living, and would do well to imitate them 
in eating macaroni. The Italian macaroni is, to be sure, of the 
very finest when made in the best factories, but a very good 
quality is also made in this country. I frequently recommend 
macaroni as a healthful addition to the midday and evening 
meals of my patients in Carlsbad, as it is nutritious and easily 
digested, and does not impose any hard work upon the stomach 
and intestines. It is well tolerated and assimilated. Nor does 
macaroni contain any injurious substances, either for the liver 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 221 

or the blood-vessels, and it thus forms an ideal food for liver 
and kidney patients, as well as for arteriosclerotics and gouty 
persons, since it does not lead to the formation of any uric acid, 
being free of purin bases. It should also be added that maca- 
roni when taken in considerable quantities antagonizes intes- 
tinal putrefaction, like foods rich in carbohydrates in general, 
as has been shown by Combe. As a component part of a 
vegetable diet macaroni is thus a most valuable addition; it is 
really to be wondered at that such valuable vegetable foodstuffs 
as these — macaroni, tapioca, sago, etc. — are scarcely ever to be 
found on the bill of fare of most vegetarian restaurants, in 
which the cheapness of the foods is a chief consideration. 

As a breakfast food, another variety of the healthful 
"flour foods," which are much used in America, would be ad- 
vantageous. "Grape-nuts," for instance, in which the floury 
substance has been dextrinized by roasting and thus rendered 
digestible and easy of assimilation, is eaten with cream and 
would be a useful addition to our usual very sparing breakfast. 
In the United States, this or some other product of wheat or 
corn meal, such as cream of wheat or hominy, is regularly taken 
at breakfast. Much more palatable, however, are the almost 
universally used flat pancakes, or "hot cakes." They are made 
of corn meal or buckwheat flour, and are piled up one over the 
other, spread with butter and maple syrup. The corn cakes 
are preferable, since they are much more nutritious, and also 
more digestible, than the buckwheat cakes. With us these 
cakes would be even more digestive, since our butter is fresher 
and of a finer quality, while in America the butter is salted and 
does not come to the table fresh each day. With the addition 
of butter and syrup, which would be replaced by us with pure 
honey, or honey mixed with fruit syrups, these corn cakes 
would furnish a very complete article of diet, since they would 
contain albumin, fat, and sugar. Such a breakfast would be 
especially advisable when a strictly vegetarian diet is being fol- 



222 Health Through Rational Diet. 

lowed, since, with that kind of diet, albumin-containing foods 
and those yielding many calories are a necessity. A very light 
breakfast of coffee and rolls constitutes a serious mistake for 
those following a strictly vegetarian diet. 

It is obvious that these additions to the breakfast, which 
are quite suitable in the diseases mentioned when speaking of 
macaroni, would not; be indicated in obesity or diabetes, and 
should in the latter affection be strictly forbidden. In very 
light cases of diabetes, buckwheat cakes — with the addition of 
plenty of butter and a little fruit syrup- — might be indulged in, 
since the assimilation and absorption of the carbohydrates by 
the intestines is interfered with owing to the high content of 
cellulose. 

3. Concerning Bread, and the 'Advantage of Brown 
Bread over White Bread. 

How greatly man depends upon his daily bread can only 
be appreciated by a Carlsbad physician who, like the author, is 
often obliged to restrict his patients in the use of" bread. There 
is hardly any other article of food which man finds so hard to 
give up, and many persons would much rather give up meat 
than bread. Since the most remote times man has been accus- 
tomed to this food, which he eats daily from early childhood. 
Recently I saw at the British Museum remnants of bread in 
the coffins of the old Egyptian mummies, which proved that 
already thousands of years ago this food was greatly prized 
by man. 

No other foodstuff used by man is more satisfying than 
bread when taken in combination with other articles of diet, 
and many of the latter gain thereby in nutritive value and 
power of assimilation, as, for instance, milk. The feeling of 
satiety is more particularly felt when dark bread is eaten ; the 
latter also seems to have more taste. Most people find a fine 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 223 

white bread less to their taste. When we ask for bread, we 
do not care for a "flour food," but want a true bread, that is to 
say, a dark bread. In the shape of rolls, white bread may be 
satisfactory, since these at least have a good hard crust already 
dextrinized, and consequently more digestible, and real bread 
lovers greatly prefer the crust to the soft, white crumb. It is 
better for the teeth, too, to eat the hard crust and crumb of a 
not quite fresh black bread, and it is very probable that, for the 
development of the teeth of a growing child, daily gymnastic 
exercises, so to speak, with his teeth in nibbling at such hard 
bread are preferable to swallowing some soft bread almost 
without masticating it. Even the dog looks instinctively for a 
hard bite when his master inadvertently provides him with 
nothing but soft food, and such dogs sometimes try to bite 
wood, or even hard stones, as I have myself seen. Dark bread 
has another advantage, namely, that it contains the outer por- 
tions of the grain, the glutinous substance, which is more rich 
in albumin. When the flour of white bread is too finely ground 
it doubtless contains more starch, but this is not such an impor- 
tant consideration, for we have plenty of starch-containing 
foods in the vegetables at our disposal. We need rather plenty 
of albumin in our bread, for the albumin-containing foods are 
more rare among the vegetables. Potatoes can be accepted as 
a substitute for the starch content of bread, but cereals do 
not in this sense form a bread substitute. When bread con- 
taining less starch is taken, we can, as is usually done by dia- 
betics, make up the deficiency by eating potatoes, but this can- 
not be so well done with cereals. White bread made from the 
finest flour product of the rolling mills has another great defect, 
that of furnishing too little phosphorus, lime, and iron. 
Balland 1 states that fine white Parisian bread contains a mini- 
mum of 0.06 per cent, phosphorus and 0.15 per cent, of 
phosphoric acid, and a maximum of 0.18 per cent., while the 

1 Balland : Loc. cit., p. 285. 



224 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



coarser bread furnished to the soldiers contains almost twice 
this amount of phosphorus. We may learn the quantity of 
nutritive substances contained in various kinds of bread by 
consulting the following table by Konig : — 



Breads. 


Proteids. 
Per cent. 


Sugar. 
Per cent. 


Starch. 
Per cent. 


Cellulose. 
Per cent. 


Of fine wheat flour . . . 
Of coarse wheat flour . 

Graham bread 

Rye bread 


6.81 
8.44 
8.10 
6.43 
7.16 
8.80 


2.01 
3.34 

2.SI 

3.28 

17.80 


55.69 
47.10 
47.56 
47.93 
43.16 
55.64 


0.31 
1.12 

1.02 
0.80 


Pumpernickel 

Biscuit (zwieback) 


1.48 
0.39 



We see by the above how much more albumin is contained 
in the coarser wheat flour, but it nevertheless has the drawback 
that such a gluten-containing bread is more poorly assimilated. 
Rubner 1 states that of the finest wheat flour 21.8 per cent, is 
lost, and of the coarsely ground shelled grain about 7 per cent 
more. In flour of a medium quality only about 3 per cent, 
more are lost. It is consequently advisable for us to use bread 
of a medium quality, as otherwise we must allow for 7 per 
cent, more ; but even though the nutrient salts are more poorly 
assimilated, we can make up for this. It would be advan- 
tageous to mix fine rye flour and wheat flour for making bread. 
Such bread would be preferable to white bread, because it 
would stimulate the bowels to a much greater extent than bread 
entirely free from bran. Bread made entirely from coarse 
rye flour would, nevertheless, not prove healthful, as according 
to Rubner much of the albumin is lost, reaching when baked 
with yeast the enormous amount of 46.6 per cent., and 14 per 
cent, of carbohydrate; with a "sour dough," or leaven, 32 per 
cent, of albumin and 10 per cent, of carbohydrates. For a 
healthy person, however, such food would not be so bad, and in 
case the digestion were to suffer, bread made from shelled, 



1 Rubner: Lehrbuch der Hygiene, 8, Aufl., S. 476. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 225 

coarsely ground wheat could be substituted. In countries 
where the people eat large quantities of rye bread we find them 
to be in such a perfect condition of health that we must con- 
clude that this coarse bread diet is not a disadvantage, but 
rather the contrary. The chief objection to these coarse breads 
is that the quantity of feces is greatly increased, which tends 
also to interfere with the assimilation of the other foods. That 
most to be recommended from the standpoint of health would 
be the Graham bread made from shelled whole, milled grain. 
The leavened pumpernickel is less desirable, as 43 per cent, is 
lost in the intestine. According to Rubner, 26 per cent, of 
nitrogen and 7.5 per cent, of carbohydrates are not assimilated 
in the Graham bread. 

A healthy person can, however, eat pumpernickel, and it 
is really an excellent breakfast food, which should be more 
widely used. The above-named breads may also do good 
service for diabetics, since owing to the considerable cellulose 
content the sugar is slowly and with difficulty carried into' the 
blood, so that the elimination of sugar is very little influenced. 
I consequently prefer to order small amounts of such bread for 
my diabetic patients, in preference to the less tasty diabetic 
breads. For people with delicate stomachs and intestines the 
easily digested white bread is to be recommended, and partic- 
ularly zwieback, in which the starch has been converted into 
a more soluble and digestible form. By simply drying or 
broiling the slices of bread, thus making the never-failing 
"toast" of the English and American breakfast tables, bread 
can be more readily digested. It is also- more easily masticated, 
and for this reason a somewhat stale bread is to be preferred to 
that freshly baked. 

The most healthful bread of all would be that made in 

the old-fashioned way by grinding wheat between two stones, 

in which manner all of the nutrient substances and salts are 

15 



226 Health Through Rational Diet. 

preserved. When we consider that the poor get almost all of 
their daily amounts of nutrient salts from bread, we must con- 
sider it as a crime against the public welfare when, through 
greed for gain, or for technical reasons, as is the case in the 
rolling mills, the flour is largely robbed of its nutritive salts 
and other substances. The building up of the bony structure, 
the chest expansion, the development of the lungs, and, conse- 
quently, the general health of the population at large stand in 
intimate relation to the above. Fine white breads are, at all 
events, to be condemned. 

4. The Advantages of Rice as Food. 

Millions of people in eastern Asia, India, and the-Indian 
Archipelago live almost exclusively upon rice, and with this 
diet they possess such indefatigable energy and industry as is 
scarcely to be found among those who subsist on other food. 
The reason for this great capacity for work lies in the nature 
of their staple food. Rice contains such a large amount of 
carbohydrates (about 80 per cent.) that it heads the list of 
vegetable foods in this respect, and we know that muscular 
work is principally accomplished through the agency of the 
carbohydrates. While, however, the rice-eaters — the majority 
of the Chinese, according to Kintaro Oshima 1 about 75 per 
cent, of Japanese, and most of the Hindoos live almost exclu- 
sively upon rice — are untiring in their work, they are not 
characterized by very robust health. We observe that the 
Hindoos, for instance, are thin and withered looking, and they 
have no powers of resistance. Just as is the case with insuffi- 
ciently or not at all manured plants and badly nourished 
animals, the Hindoos fall a ready prey to all kinds of infec- 
tious diseases. Epidemics are prevalent among them, and they 
offer no resistance to their inroads. This is due to the fact 



1 After Chittenden, loc. cit. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 227 

that their food, the rice, is very poor in the most important 
component part of our food, the albumin, of which it contains 
5.56 per cent, together with only 0.3 per cent, of fat; it also 
contains but little of the nutritive salts. This is a result of the 
unhappy condition which likewise prevails in the preparation of 
our other cereals, namely, the robbing of grain of its shell, 
which contains appreciable quantities of phosphorus and other 
inorganic nutrients. I may mention, in illustration, that the 
rice sent to Paris from the French colonies contains when un- 
shelled a maximum of 0.35 per cent, of phosphorus. Shelled 
and polished rice, as it is usually eaten, contains a maximum 
of 0.07 per cent. The same was stated by Jebbink, who found 
in unpolished, uncooked rice 0.26 per cent, phosphoric acid, 
while in the polished and cooked rice there was less than the 
half — 0.12 per cent. In order to make rice more digestible it 
is not only deprived of its shell, but another fine membrane, 
the "silver skin," is also lost, which is- rich in nutrient salts, 
particularly in organic phosphorus. Eikmann states that it 
contains as much nutrient salts as the rice-kernel itself, so that 
with this membrane the content is about doubled. This fine 
skin also contains much nitrogen, so through the polishing 
process the rice loses greatly in nutritive value. We, unfor- 
tunately, eat only such rice. It is sent to us with the shell on — 
otherwise it would lose all taste during the transport — and in 
the rice-mill it is then robbed of its shell and, unfortunately, 
also of its "silver skin" by the polishing process. We shall 
now show the nutrient salt content of the shelled and polished 
rice according to E. Wolf! 1 : — 

Nutrient Salts in the Rice Kernel (Shelled) 

Iron Phosphoric Sulphuric Silicic 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia, oxide. acid. acid. acid. Chlorine. 

Perct. Per ct. Perct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 

21.73 5.50 3.24 11.20 1.23 56.68 0.62 2.74 1.10 



1 E. Wolff : "Aschenanalysen," Berlin, 1871, p. 154. 



228 Health Through Rational Diet 

Nutritive Salts in 100 Grams of Rice Flour. 1 

Phosphoric 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Iron oxide. acid. Sulphuric acid. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

0.253 0.043 0.038 0.014 0.543 0.008 

We see from the above analysis that rice, even though it 
is but poorly mineralized as we eat it, has the advantage of 
belonging to the class of foods containing but little common 
salt, and that owing to its content of potash and soda less salt 
is required to be added in flavoring it. This makes it a very 
desirable food for diabetics, since its decomposition products 
have no injurious action upon the kidneys. Among all foods 
rice and milk are the least injurious for the kidneys. Rice, 
owing to its easy digestion and assimilation, is, when well pre- 
pared, a very good food in stomach and intestinal diseases. 
When insufficiently cooked it is rather hard and is not so well 
digested; when too much cooked it takes up too much water 
and loses all taste. The best way is to steam it for a long time. 
In Italy, prepared as risotto, it is not very digestible ; in Spain 
I have eaten it colored with saffron and containing sea-mussels ; 
it is called arroz a la Valenciana, and I found it very pala- 
table. In England rice is often used as a cold pudding, in 
which form it is very good. In my country it is frequently 
mixed with raisins and cinnamon, which increases its palatable 
and nutritious properties. Since rice contains but little fat, 
butter should be added to it. Sugar also improves its taste; 
and when sugar-peas are added, in which form — "risi-bisi" — 
it is a food much used in Austria, the otherwise rather limited 
albumin content is considerably increased. 

Rice, as a food, is very useful in diseases of the liver, 
and in affections of the blood-vessels and heart. It is also to 
be recommended in gout, as it does not form uric acid. For 
persons who prefer a vegetable diet, rice should never be 
absent from the bill of fare. Obese subjects and diabetics 

i After Schall and Heisler, p. 32, C. c. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 229 

should strictly avoid its use. It is a peculiar fact that this food, 
which is very useful for us, often proves injurious for the in- 
habitants of oriental and tropical countries. It is not the rice 
itself, that valuable gift of Providence, which is hurtful, but 
the manner in which it is prepared and eaten. The Orientals, 
like the Japanese, are in the habit of adding the strongest kinds 
of spices to the rice, which is somewhat tasteless of itself. 
While visiting patients in Holland who owned sugar planta- 
tions in India, I have eaten rice prepared in this way. Many 
dainty dishes are served at their table, but the rice was cooked 
with so; many strong spices, including black and red pepper, 
that my mouth fairly burned after eating it. In tropical 
climates such highly flavored foods are doubtless less injurious, 
since, owing to the very great activity of the skin, they are 
probably eliminated through it rather than by the kidneys. 
The beneficent design pervading all the creations of Nature 
is shown by the fact that it is in just these hot climates, or with 
us in summer, that such spices grow ; their use in a damp, cold 
climate such as that of Holland would be very injurious. 
While the rice itself is advantageous for our kidneys, spices 
added to it are very detrimental. 

Because the natives of the countries in which rice is culti- 
vated constantly eat it in the shelled and polished form, they 
are subject to a terrible disease with marked nervous symp^ 
toms, — beriberi. As has been proven in the Japanese navy, the 
sailors are immune to this disease when they can get plenty of 
meat. Eikmann's experiments upon chickens show that when 
they were fed upon polished rice they were usually affected 
by polyneuritis, the cocks more so than the hens. When the 
rice still had the "silver skin" the chickens never became dis- 
eased, and when raw meat was added they were in fine condi- 
tion. He ascribes the disease to the absence of the "silver 
skin," causing a lack of valuable nutrient salts. An interesting 
fact reported by Vordermann is that in Java, among the occu- 



230 Health Through Rational Diet. 

pants of 52 prisons, beriberi occurred in 72 per cent, of those 
fed upon polished rice, while in 37 prisons in which the) un- 
polished rice was furnished as food only 2.7 per cent, were 
affected. Without devoting any further space to the discussion 
of this important subject we may still briefly mention that ex- 
periments made by Hulshof Pol, Nocht, and Schaumann con- 
firm the opinion, which has recently been further strengthened 
in a recently published dissertation by Jebbink, that beriberi is 
caused by a lack of phosphorus. We might also add that a 
one-sided diet, as was stated in referring to pellagra in a pre- 
vious chapter, diminishes the protective resistance against in- 
fectious diseases, and also causes a lack of phosphorus. 

We should consider the lack of phosphorus as a predis- 
posing factor, since Aron and Hodgson 1 have shown, in their 
experiments upon monkeys, that it diminishes the resisting 
power against infection. This deficiency might also- be ac- 
cepted as a direct etiological factor, as it produces nervous 
symptoms which are improved by the absorption of organic 
phosphorus in the food. Thus, Hulshof Pol obtained very 
favorable results in the prophylaxis and treatment of beriberi 
by the administration of kaljang-idjoe, an Indian variety of 
bean, containing considerable phosphorus. 

5. Corn: Its Advantages as a Food. 

It has been observed that, in countries where much corn is 
eaten, tuberculosis and epilepsy, as w T ell as kidney disorders, 
are extremely rare. We shall not here question the correctness 
of this statement, but it is an undisputed fact that corn is a very 
valuable article of food. It is another of the many anomalies 
to be met with in our method of nourishment that a foodstuff 
containing 10 per cent, of albumin, over 5 per cent, of fat, and 
about 70 per cent, of carbohydrates, as well as many nutrient 

iAron and Hodgson: Loc. cit. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 231 

salts, should in our country be chiefly used to feed pigs and to 
fatten geese and ducks, while thousands of persons are suffer- 
ing from hunger, and would gladly eat the food thus given to 
animals. One might be led to suppose that this perversity is 
due to the fact that corn is disagreeable in taste. This is cer- 
tainly not the case, for during two voyages of seven months 
each in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, all of them 
countries in which much corn is eaten, I was able to convince 
myself that corn meal prepared in various ways tastes very 
good, and I enjoyed eating corn bread, corn cakes, etc., almost 
every day. I found these corn foods more palatable in the 
northern part of the United States, where the sweeter, yellow 
corn is used, than in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, etc., 
where white corn meal was used in the foods set before me in 
hotels. 

While thus the taste would not be a deterrent factor in 
the use of corn, the objection might be made that it is hard to 
digest and also poorly assimilated. This is also certainly not 
justified, for while partaking of it daily during a long time 
I never noted any difficulty in the digestion except after having 
taken too much corn bread. Malfatti also states that corn 
and rice, as well as fine and medium-fine wheat flour, are well 
assimilated. 

Since corn is thus both palatable and well assimilated, it 
is possible that many timid people would be afraid of pellagra. 
Any such fear can at once be allayed, for I never heard of a 
single case of pellagra while in the United States or in Canada, 
and, since this disease principally occurs among the lower 
classes in Italy and the Adriatic maritime countries, it may be 
ascribed to a one-sided diet, just as in beriberi, which affects 
only the natives of eastern Asia living almost exclusively upon 
rice. Pellagra is probably caused by bacterial toxins, which 
are not formed in fresh corn, but in old corn through the 
decomposition of the gluten in its outer shell. It is most likely, 



232 Health Through Rational Diet. 

however, that it is the one-sided and scanty food and malnu- 
trition which give rise to pellagra, just as with the rice-eaters 
beriberi is developed owing to* a decreased power of resistance 
against infection. 

We see therefore that there is no valid reason for thus 
neglecting such a valuable article of diet as corn. The greatest 
mistake consists in the fact that vegetarian restaurants do not 
include this article of diet in their rather limited bill of fare, 
which does not offer many albumin-containing foods, with the 
exception of certain vegetable fats, and this especially since 
corn is cheaper than many other cereals, such as wheat, etc. 

A multiplicity of palatable foods can be made with corn, 
such as cakes, corn bread, — the latter of which is best when 
mixed with rye flour, as it is made in many sections of Hun- 
gary, Croatia, and Servia, — gruel, or pap, like the polenta so 
much used in Italy. Mixed with eggs and milk or water and 
butter, and baked in a pan, it makes a very agreeable food, 
"male," which is much liked in Hungary and Croatia; these 
cakes are often spread with honey, which makes them even 
nicer. In Mexico and California I saw corn prepared as 
"tamales," a dish which is flavored with Spanish peppers, 
"chile." The flat corn cakes which are used as a breakfast 
food in the United States have already been referred to. The 
maizena, "mondamin," made from cornstarch, when mixed 
with milk and eggs in the form of "blanc-mange," is one of the 
most easily digested foods, probably not surpassed by any in 
regard to its assimilation by the intestine. 

Corn itself, when on the cob, is a much-liked food, when 
roasted or boiled. In America, corn is thus used as a vegetable, 
but for weak stomachs or where there is a tendency to intestinal 
disturbance it should never be indulged in, as it is very indi- 
gestible. In addition to its great nutritive value, corn contains 
certain valuable salts, such as phosphorus. In ioo grams, ac- 
cording to Schall and Heisler, there is contained 0.689 gram 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 233 

phosphoric acid, and, according to Balland, between 0.2 and 
0.35 of phosphorus and 0.47 and 0.80 phosphoric acid ; Jebbink 
states that raw there is 0.83 per cent, and cooked 0.31 per 
cent. The nutrient salt content of the ash, both of corn and of 
corn flour, is as follows : — 

Nutrient Salt Content of Corn Grains. 1 

Phos- 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia. Iron phoric Sulphuric Silicic Chlorine. 

oxide. acid. acid. acid. 

Perct. Perct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Perct. 

29.78 1.10 2.17 15.52 0.76 45.61 0.78 2.09 0.91 
Nutrient Salt Content of Corn Flour. 2 



Potash. 
Per ct. 


Soda. 
Per ct. 


Lime. 
Per ct. 


Magfnesia. 
Per ct. 


Iron 
oxide. 
Per ct. 


Phos- 
phoric 
acid. 
Per ct. 


Sulphuric Silicic Chlorine, 
acid. acid. 
Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 


28.50 


3.50 


6.37 


14.80 


1.51 


44.97 


— — — 



According to the composition of Schall and Heisler, 3 100 
grams of fresh corn flour contain : — 

Phos- 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magfnesia. Iron phoric Sulphuric Silicic Chlorine. 

oxide. acid. acid. acid. 

Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. Per ct. 

0.449 0.017 0.033 — 0.011 0.089 — — 0.014 

Corn thus contains considerable amounts of these salts, 
and particularly of phosphorus, and also appreciable quantities 
of iron, although of the latter substance more is contained in 
wheat and oats. 

That wheat is a healthful food is shown by the fresh ap- 
pearance of the people for whom it forms a staple article of 
diet. The inhabitants of the Franche-Comte in France are 
characterized by their appearance of robust health. There are 
probably no more hard-working people than the Italian 
laborers employed on the railroads, who eat polenta as a daily 
food; they can endure great fatigue, like carbohydrate-eaters 
in general, and with it all look to be more healthy than the 



1 E. Wolff : "Aschenanalysen," Berlin, 1871, p. 36. 

2 After Stepf and Konig. 

3 Loc. cit., p. 32. 



234 Health Through Rational Diet. 

rice-eaters, since corn also contains albumin and fat, both of 
which are poorly represented in rice, as we have seen in the 
preceding chapter. 

(i) Starch-containing Tubers. 

White and Sweet Potatoes, Manioc, Sago, Tapioca, and 
their Advantages. 

Just as is the case with bread, many people feel that they 
cannot do without potatoes. Especially in the northern 
regions, as in Scandinavia, and even more so in Ireland, does 
the potato form a chief part of the daily food. In many sec- 
tions of northern Hungary the Slovaks live almost exclusively 
upon potatoes. In my country, too, there are large numbers of 
people from whose tables they are never absent; this great 
liking for them, which seems to be almost instinctive, is readily 
understood, for in this region potatoes, together with bread, 
supply our daily needs of carbohydrate materials, of which 
potatoes contain 16 to 22 per cent. They also constitute — 
particularly new potatoes — a very agreeable food, especially 
when well prepared. The taste-bearing constituents in them 
disappear very rapidly, so that when they are pared and placed 
in water they soon lose their taste, especially when the water 
is heated. For this reason potatoes should always be boiled 
in the skins; the best way is to put therm into boiling water 
and let them cook for about half an hour, until they are quite 
soft. When the potatoes are sufficiently cooked, they should 
be peeled and served at once, for their taste is rapidly lost. 
Whoever is fond of potatoes should not come late to meals 
in a hotel, but should endeavor to be among the first, for 
when peeled and prepared some time before, they no longer 
taste very good; even the delicious new potatoes get hard. 
The digestibility of the potato also depends upon the manner 
of its preparation, for we must remember that the digestible 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 235 

nourishing portions, the starch granules, are imbedded in a 
covering of cellulose. These shells may be expected to burst 
open in the cooking, so that the digestive juices can act upon 
the nutritious substances within. When potatoes have been 
thoroughly cooked and are served mashed in the form of a 
puree, they give the stomach but little work, and can be well 
assimilated in the intestine, for the cellulose can then do no 
harm. The case is very different, however, when potatoes are 
sliced and fried, and perhaps only partially cooked through. 
They then seem tender on the outside, but the cellulose in the 
interior portions has not been rent asunder ; the starchy portions 
remain in a raw condition, and, as Strassburger has shown, 
appear undigested in the feces. When potatoes are taken in 
the form of a salad, about 7 per cent, of the carbohydrate con- 
stituents is lost, according to Rubner. The most healthful 
way, therefore, is to eat potatoes in the form of a puree. Good, 
dry, mealy potatoes, when steamed, sliced and browned, are 
well tolerated and assimilated. Whole roasted potatoes are in- 
digestible, badly assimilated, and often give rise to acid eructa- 
tions; they are consequently not adapted for stomach and 
intestinal troubles. 

The taste of potatoes and the amount of starch contained 
in them depend upon the climate and soil. In some countries, 
in England and Holland particularly, they grow very well and 
have a very excellent taste. The starch content is dependent 
upon the sun they receive, as is the case with tubers in general, 
for through the influence of the sun's rays the starch, which is 
formed in the leaves, is stored up. The tubers in these plants 
may be said to occupy about the same position in their makeup 
as does the liver with us, since the starch is also deposited in 
this organ, to be converted into sugar as required and then 
consumed. After a summer in which there has been plenty of 
sunny weather, the potatoes show an unusually high starch 
content. Generally the amount ranges from 16 per cent, in 



236 Health Through Rational Diet. 

the young potatoes to 22 per cent, in the old ones; the older 
the tuber, the more starch has been deposited in it. Of the 
other nutritive substances, e.g., albumin, the potato contains 
but little, the minimal amount being 0.69 per cent, and the 
maximum 3.67 per cent. ; of fat there is even less, — 0.04 to 
0.96 per cent. Following is the average composition of the 
potato, according to Konig 1 : — 

Water. Protein. Fat. Carbohydrate. 

74.93 per cent. 1.39 per cent. 0.15 per cent. 20.86 per cent. 

The potato not only contains very little albumin, but only 
about one-half of this is digestible ; the rest occurs in the form 
of amino-compounds, — for the most part asparagin, — which 
may probably also play some useful role. 

Since potatoes contain so little fat, it is advisable not to 
eat them alone, but to add butter. Dry potatoes certainly do 
not taste good, but fresh potatoes with good butter, or potatoes 
browned in butter, with a crisp, appetizing crust, as they are 
so deliciously prepared in Paris, and occasionally in England, 
are most palatable. As potatoes are poor in albumin, and meat, 
on the other hand, is poor in carbohydrates, these two articles 
of food should go hand in hand, as it were; a roast of meat 
does not seem complete without potatoes, nor do the potatoes 
without meat. To be sure, good potatoes carefully fried are 
by no means to be despised as a, food when eaten alone, but 
in a vegetable diet they do not play the same role as for the 
meat-eater, since the vegetarians can better obtain their re- 
quired amounts of carbohydrate from rice, sago, tapioca, etc. 
These contain a much greater total of carbohydrate material 
and are consequently more nutritious for the vegetarian, while 
potatoes are more voluminous and less nutritious. According 
to Bunge, potatoes also give rise to a craving for salt, owing to 
the large amount of potash and the slight quantity of soda 



1 Konig, ii, p. 892. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 237 

contained in them, as a consequence of which more common 
salt is excreted and must be again replaced. 

The diet of the vegetarian is, in general, already poor in 
salt, so that he should not add to it large amounts of any article 
of food which will increase the desire for salt further. Rice 
is, therefore, far preferable for him. The potash content is 
greater than that of, perhaps, any other food, amounting to- 60 
per cent. We shall now describe the mineral contents of the 
potato, as given by Konig. 

The ash of potatoes contains the following percentages of 
the various nutritive salts 1 : — 

Phos- 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia. Iron phoric Sulphuric Silicic Chlorine. 

oxide. acid. acid. acid. 

60.06 2.96 2.64 4.93 1.10 16.80 6.52 2.4 2.46 

As to the content of phosphorus, one of the most important 
of the mineral substances in our food, potatoes when cooked 
contain, according to Jebbink, 0.10 per cent, of phosphoric acid; 
according to Balland, 0.01 per cent, of phosphorus and 0.22 per 
cent, of phosphoric acid. In the table of Schall and Heisler 2 
160 milligrams of phosphoric acid are given as being contained 
in 100 grams of the fresh substance. 

The following amounts of the nutritive salts are present 
in 100 grams of the fresh substance: — 



Potash. 


Soda. 


Lime. 


Iron oxide. 


Chlorine. 


Phosphoric acid. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


0.571 


0.028 


0.028 


0.010 


0.023 


0.160 



When we wish to introduce many alkaline substances into 
the body, potatoes render good service; large quantities will 
render the urine alkaline. Mosse states that in 1 kilo of 
potatoes there is contained almost as much of alkaline sub- 
stance as is present in 1 liter of Vichy water, and he has also 
observed — as is often the case after the use of alkaline waters — 
that the sugar in the urine of his diabetic patients was con- 

1 Konig, ii, p. 898. 

2 Schall and Heisler : Loc. cit, p. 32. 



238 Health Through Rational Diet. 

siderably decreased after potatoes had been eaten, for which 
reason he recommends a diet exclusively of potatoes in the 
treatment of diabetes. The sugar really does often disappear 
after such treatment, but, as I have stated in my work on new 
methods and measures of treatment in diabetes, we possess 
more rational modes of treating this disease than such an im- 
practicable and purposeless diet, in which the lack of albumin 
in the food would surely also exert a therapeutic influence upon 
the diabetes. In addition to the potash content the asparagin 
no doubt also plays a role. Stocklasa and Biernacki have 
shown that a large content of potash in the food greatly favors 
the breaking down of carbohydrates. 

It would be a great mistake to allow all diabetics to take 
potatoes; I have myself seen injurious effects follow reckless 
use of this food in diabetes. As soon as meat is given together 
with the potatoes, the elimination of sugar is readily increased. 
It would be best to use the potatoes in small quantities, fried 
or, better still, in the form of salad, since they are then not so 
well assimilated. In obesity potatoes should not be allowed, 
since the fat may be increased owing to their carbohydrate 
content. In kidney diseases the increased amount of salt taken 
with the potatoes might come into play. They also contain 
purin bases — uric acid producers — according to Bessau and 
Schmidt, to the extent of 0.002; this is really but a small 
amount, so that potatoes need not be strictly forbidden in gout. 
Their tendency to produce flatulence should be given due 
weight in gout as well as in arteriosclerosis. If, however, the 
potatoes are taken in the form of a puree, instead of fried or 
roasted, flatulence may be avoided. The question must be 
well considered before such a much-used and well-liked food 
as the potato is absolutely forbidden. 

In the tropics and in the United States, a kind of sweet 
potato is frequently eaten. I found the taste of sweet potatoes 
very agreeable, something like a chestnut puree, and often ate 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 239 

them fried, and liked them very much. I found them some- 
what indigestible, however, somewhat less so when boiled, but 
am inclined to think that they are more apt to cause acidity 
of the stomach than our native potatoes. It would be well to 
cultivate this useful variety of potato in our country. 

In countries where the sun is almost always shining, thus 
causing great heat, a great quantity of starch is formed in the 
tuberous roots of certain trees, as in the "manihot" tree, called 
the cassava tree in South America and Java, which belongs to 
the Euphorbiaceae. When the knots on the roots of these trees, 
which are often very large, are cut open, a white, starch-like 
mass will be seen to fill the cavity. After having been very 
carefully cleaned, for the removal of a poisonous substance, 
this starchy mass) is then spread out on a hot metallic plate. 
From the manioc, and also from the starch obtained from the 
roots of a tree belonging to the Marantacea, the Maranta 
arundinacea (arrowroot), as well as from the Colocaria Taro 
in Africa and Tahiti, the Curcurmartes, various starch-contain- 
ing substances like tapioca are made. The trunks of palm trees 
contain a great deal of starchy flour, and from it sago is made, 
which consists of little granules. Tapioca and sago are also* 
made in Europe from the starch obtained from potatoes. 
These foods present many advantages. In the first place they 
are nutritious, since they contain 78 to 88 per cent, of carbohy- 
drates, in such a form that it is scarcely equaled by any other 
food in regard to the assimilation of the starches; they are 
almost entirely free from cellulose, and therefore the intestinal 
juices can act fully upon them. They are consequently very 
easily digested both by the stomach and intestines, and do not 
impose much work upon the stomach, although they remain in 
it for some time, as the gastric juices do not digest the carbohy- 
drates, which are digested by the saliva and intestinal juice. 
In cases of intestinal disturbances the best among the carbohy- 
drate foods would no doubt be sago or tapioca ; they would be 



240 Health Through Rational Diet. 

less desirable in over acidity of the stomach. Since they are 
rather tasteless, and are not rich in albumin (0.30 to 1.13 per 
cent.), it would be desirable to mix them' with milk or make 
puddings of them with eggs and milk or cream. Such a pud- 
ding is most easily digested. It might be stated, in reference 
to their action upon the intestines, that these starchy foods, 
owing to their content of sugar, have the property of causing 
a lactic acid fermentation in the intestine, which, so to speak, 
disinfects it, and has a beneficial effect upon the entire organ- 
ism. In kidney affections they are a most excellent food, since 
they contain absolutely nothing which might prove injurious 
to the kidneys ; the same may be said of the blood-vessels ; so 
they are a good dietetic food in arteriosclerosis, as well as in 
gout, since they do not form any uric acid, being entirely free 
from substances which produce it. For delicate persons, these 
foods are ideal, but they are not well adapted for strong, 
healthy men, for whom a carbohydrate food which requires 
some chewing, like hard black bread, or one containing cellu- 
lose in a sufficient quantity to act upon the intestine, would be 
preferable. Foods like sago, etc., — rich in carbohydrates and 
very easily assimilated, — should play an important part in a 
vegetarian diet, in which the cellulose is well represented, but 
the easily digested forms of carbohydrates less so. In this con- 
nection, tapioca and sago, corn and other fine, starchy flour, 
would be ideal. That these foods would be poison, so to speak, 
for diabetics is clear. The sugar contained in them is absorbed 
in large quantities at a time, and the organism is flooded with 
it; it is therefore preferable for such patients, when they re- 
quire the carbohydrates, to take them in foods containing much 
cellulose, so that the sugar be only gradually absorbed, and the 
sugar-destroying agents in the body have time to convert it 
into an eliminable product. When we forbid the use of these 
foods in obesity and advise those rich in cellulose, we are 
actuated by similar motives. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 241 



(/) Mushrooms. 

Certain fungi, i.e., edible mushrooms, which are quite 
unique in their nature, form a wonderful food. For it really 
is wonderful that in just a few hours, after a rain, these struc- 
tures appear in the woods, having been fully developed in this 
short time, and containing, as they do, quite large amounts of 
nutritive substance. The expression "they spring up like mush- 
rooms" indicates how rapidly they really do> grow; this 
wonderful process will be better understood when we remember 
that the fungi belong to the same large class of plants as the 
bacteria; the latter, we well know, develop in enormous 
numbers in a very brief period. 

Their wonderfully rapid growth does not prevent the for- 
mation of large quantities of valuable nutritive substances, and 
many of the fungi are very rich in proteids and in carbohy- 
drates. The yellow mushroom, Elaphomyces granulatus, con- 
tains the large amount of 19.19 per cent, of proteids and 47 
per cent, of carbohydrates in the fresh substance, but of the 
19.19 per cent, of proteids only 13.40 per cent, is assimilated 
and of the 47 per cent, of carbohydrates about 10 per cent, is 
lost. The Fistnlina hepatica contains 10.40 per cent, of carbo- 
hydrates, of which more than 2 per cent, is lost. Nevertheless, 
these fungi are very nutritious, and one may readily under- 
stand why mushrooms are considered by some as vegetable 
meats, and why a French author — Bertillon, I believe — called 
them "Gibier sans pattes" (game without feet). Just like 
game, many of them live in the woods in damp, dark places, 
but among these many are poisonous. Their toxic properties 
may perhaps frequently be due to decayed animal substances or 
other dead organisms in the ground, which have been ab- 
sorbed by the fungi. Even the edible varieties of the latter 
may, at times, have a poisonous action, as they become very 
rapidly decomposed when kept for any length of time. Just 

16 



242 Health Through Rational Diet. 

as soon as they are formed they also- begin to deteriorate, a 
property which they have in common with many other organ- 
isms. Mushrooms and other fungi should therefore be used 
when quite fresh, and to have them warmed up a second time 
is always very poor economy. Mushrooms, owing to their 
pronounced taste, are often used to flavor other foods, and are 
also helpful for the digestion. As a general thing when eaten 
alone they are very indigestible. This is due to the fact that 
most of them contain a large amount of cellulose. When one 
touches them,, their tough consistency can at once be felt, and, 
even when cooked, one feels in one's mouth that they contain 
a hard fiber, and cannot be readily masticated. Mushrooms 
belong to the more easily digested varieties ; they contain only 
0.83 per cent, of cellulose; the Cantharellns cibarius have 0.96 
per cent, of raw cellulose, the Fistulina hepatica 0.83 per cent, 
while the Morchella elata have 0.8 per cent. The most diffi- 
cult to digest is the truffle, which contains 7.20 per cent, of 
cellulose, and when dried even as much as 27 per cent. It is 
really one of the most indigestible food substances. The other 
varieties above mentioned may be recommended as being 
digestible, but certainly not the truffle. They are particularly 
not to be recommended, too, when we consider the shameless 
and unappetizing way in which they are imitated. The best 
and least indigestible variety comes from Perigord, in France. 
The indigestibility of the truffle does not prevent its being 
in great demand by "gourmands," and France furnishes them 
to the amount of several millions of marks per year. 

Although some varieties of fungi are very rich in nitrog- 
enous substances, only a portion of these can be taken into 
account, since only 62.88 per cent, of the nitrogenous com- 
pounds include true protein which can be assimilated by the 
tissues. Of the true protein, according to the experiments on 
man by Saltet and Uffelman with mushrooms as they are 
usually prepared, only 61 to 66 per cent, can be assimilated; 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 243 

with air-dried and pulverized mushrooms as much as 72 per 
cent, can be digested. The experiments of Morner show that 
of the nitrogenous substance contained in the fungi and edible 
mushrooms only about 60 per cent, can be digested. 

We shall now give, according to J. Konig, ii, p. 1488, a 
list of fungi and mushrooms, in which will be found the quan- 
tity of nutrient substances contained in them, together with 
the amounts assimilated: — 



Fungi and mushrooms. 



Field mushroom 

Cantharellus cibarius . . . 

Lactaria deliciosa 

Boletus bulbosus 

Boletus luteus 

Fistulina hepatica 

Elaphomyces granulatus 

Morcella elata 

Helvella lacunosa 

Truffle 



In the fresh substance. 



Quantity assim- 
ilated. 



O n 

P4 0< 



4.88 
2.64 



7.57 



o » 

<H U 



3.54 
3.81 
3.04 
5.12 
3.95 
10.40 
47.00 
4.50 
5.43 
6.55 



O n 



0.83 
0.96 
3.63 
1.01 
1.22 
0.83 
5.45 
0.92 
0.71 
7.25 



O U 

u <u 



3.42 
1.95 
2.16 
3.77 
1.04 
1.11 
13.43 
2.30 
2.22 
5.30 



2 

o <o 



2.86 
3.05 
2.47 
4.60 
3.16 
8.32 
37.60 
3.60 
4.34 
5.26 



In the dried state the wood-fiber and the nutritive-sub- 
stance content is increased, as will be seen in the following 
table :— 



Fungi and mushrooms. 


Cellulose. 
Per cent. 


Proteids. 
Percent. 


Carbohy- 
drates. 
Per cent. 


Assimi- 
lated nitro- 
gen. 
Per cent. 


Assimilat 
ed carbo- 
hydrates. 
Per cent. 


Field mushroom 

Boletus bulbosus 

Morcella elata 

Helvella lacunosa 

Truffle 


7.56 
6.87 
5.50 
5.63 
27.67 


41.69 
36.66 
28.48 
25.22 
33.89 


30.75 

34.5: 

37.72 
43.30 
24.88 


29.18 
25.66 
19.94 
17.65 
23.71 


24.64 
27.61 
29.94 
34.64 
19.90 



244 Health Through Rational Diet. 

According to the above tables, quite a considerable amount 
of nutritive substances is contained in many fungi and mush- 
rooms. Although the assimilation of the same is made diffi- 
cult by the amount of cellulose they contain, this process is 
somewhat aided by the fact that a portion of the proteid con- 
tent does not consist of protein compounds ; there, nevertheless, 
remains quite considerable nutritive value. The following is 
a list of the most nourishing fungi, together with the number 
of calories furnished by them : — 

Calories contained 
Fungi and mushrooms. in 1000 grams, 

Elaphomyces granulatus 2163 

Truffle 495 

Fistulina hepatica 393 

Boletus bulbosus 369 

Morchella elata 279 

Cantharellus cibarius 290 

Helvetia lacunosa 295 

The varieties containing the least cellulose are usually 
the most digestible. In these are included the field mushroom, 
Helvetia lacunosa, Morchella elata, Fistulina hepatica, etc. In 
order to make them more digestible, the fungi must be thor- 
oughly cooked during quite a long time, whereby a very good 
tasting juice is obtained. The long cooking sometimes re- 
moves substances which might prove injurious; therefore a 
long cooking, and then leaving the sauce unused, would be by 
far the best plan whenever there is the least doubt as to the 
kind and quality of the mushrooms. According to Lamie, 
prolonged cooking will render even the poisonous varieties 
innocuous, and other authors say that the same is the case 
when they have been placed in vinegar or salted. It is much 
the best, however, not to eat such suspicious varieties at all. 
Many rules have been given by which they can be recognized, 
such as the peculiar and unpleasant odor when they are cut 
open, the discoloration of the cut surfaces, and other peculiari- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 245 

ties. But for the inexperienced gatherer or purchaser these are 
insufficient and not always infallible. 

The safest plan, in Austria, is to buy the mushrooms in 
the market, where they have been examined by the market 
inspectors. 

In addition to their frequently high nutritive value fungi 
often contain other valuable substances, such as phosphorus 
and lecithin. The following is a list of a number of varieties, 
with their content of these substances, according to Lietz 1 : — 



Phosphorus and Lecithin Content of Fungi. 



Fungi. 


Total phosphoric acid. 


Lecithin. 


Helvetia lacunosa 


3 . 08 per cent. 

1.41 

4.25 

1.37 

1.54 

1.61 

1.67 

1.78 

2.18 


1.641 per cent - - 


Cantharellus tubceformis 


1.335 
0.935 
0.377 
0.583 
0.381 
1.388 
0.786 
1.399 


< 


Mushroom 

Field mushroom 


< 


Boletus bulbosus 


« 


German white truffle 


< 


Helvella crispa 


< 


Ldctavid scvobiculatcL 


« 


Hygrophorus ficoides 


' 



Another valuable property of the fungi and mushrooms 
is that they contain considerable amounts of various nutrient 
salts. Some of them contain much iron — the truffle, for in- 
stance, which is rich in salts in general. The mineral-salt 
content of the truffle, which is really a plant growing in the 
earth, may depend upon the composition of the soil in which 
they grow. Besides the truffles the Helvella lacunosa and the 
Boletus varieties are also very rich in nutrient salts. 

The following table shows that fungi are especially rich in 
lime and phosphorus, and also contain quite considerable 
amounts of iron : — 



1 After Konig. 



246 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



Nutrient Salt Content of Several Varieties of Fungi, Accord- 
ing TO KOHLRAUCH AND LOESCHKE. 





& 

8 . 

3-9 


i 

08 

2 


o 


6 

a 

3 


.2 

'55 
a 


6 
-a 

1 
a 
o 
ti 


*n 

o 

& . 

CO 


2 

03 

o 

a 

1 


1 
"3 
g 


6 
a 

i 


Field mushroom . 


5.20 


50.11 


1.69 


5.75 0.53 


1.16 


15.43 


29.23 


1.42 


4.58 


Truffle 


8.69 
9.03 


54.21 
50.40 


1.61 
2.30 


4.95 
0.78 


2.34 
1.27 


6.51 
1.00 


32.96 
39.10 


1.17 
1.58 


1.14 
1.09 


16 


Helvetia lacunosa 


0.89 


Morcella elata . . . 


9.42 


49.57 


0.39 


1.59 


1.10 


1.86 


39.03 


1.89 


0.87 


2.02 


Boletus varieties. . 


8.46 


55.38 


2.53 


3.47 


2.31 


1.06 


23.22 


10.69 







When we consider the great nutritive value of the fungi 
and mushrooms, their content of important substances, such 
as lecithin, as well as of many nutrient salts, they must be 
regarded as an excellent food. Their use is to be particularly 
recommended as component of a vegetable diet, but a good 
stomach and intestine are required for their digestion. 



(k) Green Vegetables. 

i. Concerning Vegetables Growing Above and In the Ground. 

When a vegetable grown above the ground, such as 
spinach, is cooked as it is, without the addition of any water, 
one will be surprised at the quantity of fluid that will gather 
in the cooking utensil. This is the water which is present in 
considerable quantities in spinach and all of the vegetables that 
are grown above ground; in fact, they consist principally of 
water : 8o to 92 per cent. It is for this reason that an animal 
which feeds upon leaves and green vegetables does not need 
to drink water; when rabbits and guinea-pigs are fed in this 
way they do not drink, but if they are fed upon grains they 
must have water. Very much the same thing is the case with 
man, and consequently in diabetes large quantities of green 
vegetables should be taken. Normal persons can also with 
such a diet prevent thirst in the summer; another advantage 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 247 



is that the fluid in vegetables enters the circulation gradually, 
so that it is not suddenly overcharged, as it is when the liquid 
is taken all at once in the form of water or beer. In cases 
where the addition of large amounts of fluid is contraindi- 
cated, as in heart affections or arteriosclerosis, vegetables may 
prove beneficial, but care should be exercised in selecting those 
which do not cause flatulence. 

The nutritive substances contained in the leaf vegetables 
grown above ground include only small amounts of nitrogen, — 
from 2 to 4 per cent., — which, when we include the unripe 
leguminous vegetables, may amount to 7 per cent., — also small 
quantities of sugar (up to 2 per cent.) and other carbohydrates, 
— 6 to 10 per cent, in some varieties. Unfortunately the cellu- 
lose content is quite large, so that the assimilation is poorly 
accomplished. Since the process of cooking removes a con- 
siderable portion of these nutritive substances and also of the 
nutrient salts, the nourishing properties of these vegetables are 
greatly diminished; indeed, such leafy vegetables are less 
chosen for their nutritive value than for other desirable prop- 
erties we shall now mention. 

The following table by Konig (ii, p. 925) shows the 
nutrient content of various vegetables of this sort: — 






J? 
a 
< 


.a 

U <D 

a) 


^ 

3 

CO 

CD 

3 

3 c<J ° 


a 

a> 

# 

■hi (4 

as a> 
0.34 


a 
u ° 

p © 

GQP-i 
1 ?1 


CD 

s 

.9 

S 01 
3 O 

£> a . 

u <£ cd 
»-2 ° 
•o £ «- 

-w CO 
O P* 


cd.j 

3 O 

J3 u 
CD CD 


a 

CD 
. O 

CO CD 


s 

*o 
a 

*n . 

O, CD 
CO CJ 

2 * 

•C CD 

pua< 


IP 

be 3 t- 

U CO qj 

O 0h 


In the dry 
substance. 




to -J 

^ 

U CD 

eucu 


'33 CD 

•T, « ° 

O t-. .. 

3t! CD 


Cauliflower 


5 
1 
2 
2 
4 
1 
8 
3 

5 
3 

7 


90.89 
86.96 
80.03 
85.63 
87.09 
90.06 
90.11 
89.24 
93.75 

77.67 
84.07 

88.75 


2.48 
3.01 
3.99 
4.83 
3.31 
1.83 
1.83 
3.71 
1.79 

6.59 
5.43 

2.72 


3.34 
5.72 


0.91 


83 


0.150 


0.089 
0.070 
0.102 
0.138 

0.088 
0.0C2 
0.038 


27.63 
23.06 
18.46 
33.44 
25.67 
18.44 
18.50 
34.49 
28.77 

29.51 
33.08 
24.25 


49.94 


Butter cabbage 


0.541 1.47 


1.20 1.10 0.152 
1.88 1.57 0.263 


55.14 


Winter cabbage 


0.90 1.21 10.42 


61.04 


Brussels sprouts 

Savoy cabbage 

Red cabbage 


0.46 .... 
0.7l| 1.29 
0.1911.74 

0.1811.92 
0.50 0.10 


6.22 
4.73 
4.12 
3.13 
3.51 
2.26 


1.57i i.29 
1.23 1.64 
1.29 0.77 
1.65 1.18 
0.94 2.00 
1.04 0.54 

1.94 0.85 
2.08.0.74 

1.18 n Ri 


0.282 
0.207 
3.112 
0.125 


47.22 
47.41 
58 95 


White cabbage 


51.06 
33 55 


Spinach 


Asparagus 


0.25 

0.52 
0.38 

14 


0.37 


0.331 
0.178 

146 


0.041 
0.054 

0.020 

0.039 


42.08 
55.66 


Green garden peas (un- 
ripe seeds) 


12.43 
7.35 

1.161 5.44 


Green puff bean s (unripe 
seeds) 

String beans (not dry, 
ripe) 


46.69 
58.66 






1 


1 




1" 





248 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



The great quantity of nutrient salts contained in these 
vegetables plays a more important part than the nitrogen or 
carbohydrate content. 

Head salad contains much lime, about 37.63 in the pure 
ash, and also much iron — 5.31 per cent. Owing to their high 
content in alkaline salts, green vegetables exert a considerable 
influence upon the composition of the blood, which they alka- 
linize. In very acid urine, this increased alkalinity of the 
blood greatly diminishes the acidity, and with large quantities 
of such food the urine may even become alkaline. A similar 
result is brought about by the large amounts of organic acids 
which occur either in the free state or in combination with 
alkalies, and are converted into carbohydrate combinations by 
combustion in the body. The juice of head salad contains 
potassium citrate : tomato juice also contains mainly citric acid. 
The ash content of several varieties of leafy vegetables is as 
follows : — 



Nutrient Salt Content of Several Varieties of Cabbage, 
According to Konig. 1 











eu'-j 


® . 

-a*: 




S *s 




-• a 


a 


a 




H a 


J3 a 


s ° 






(8 ° 





a 


og 


a-d 






$u 


T3 u 


E * 


ft* 


8»- 


2 u 


£%^ 




<u 




JS a> 


3 v 


£ ® 


JZ « <o 






PLnfX, 


QQA 


jeu 


^0h 


£Oh 


ex, a, 


M CU 


Cauliflower 


26.37 


10.24 


18.68 


2.30 


0.30 


13.08 


11.41 


White cabbage 
















(outside leaves) 


22.14 


12.10 


27.88 


4.44 


0.10 


3.88 


15.31 


Hearts of white 
















cabbage 


37.82 


14.42 


9.36 


3.52 


0.15 


12.30 


15.46 


Spinach 


16,56 


35.24 


11.87 


6.38 


3.35 


10.25 


6.82 


Head salad 


17.63 


7.54 


14.68 


6.14 


5.31 


9.19 


3.76 



s 

"3 .J 

as a 



MX 



12.84 






6.07 



10.80 13.68 
I 

6.97 

4.52 6.29 
8.14! 7.65 



In order, however, that the important nutrient salt con- 
tent of such vegetables shall not be lost, a proper method of 
cooking is required. When boiled in water — especially pure 



1 Konig, ii, p. 927. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 249 

water — without salt, the nutrient salts are drawn out, and fre- 
quently this water is then thrown away. The best way would 
be to cook such vegetables in utensils in which the water does 
not come into contact with the vegetables, and where it is 
principally the steam which acts upon the food — as is the case 
with the Wolf cooking apparatus — or when the vegetables are 
steamed according to the English custom. In Austria and 
Hungary they are prepared with much browned butter and 
very little water, which is quite to the purpose, as very little 
of the nutrient salts is thus lost. 

Proper cooking is all the more important for such foods, 
since the intestinal assimilation is dependent upon it. When 
some of the nutrient properties are lost in cooking, and others 
through the insufficient assimilation in the intestine, these foods 
lose much of their value. 

The more raw fiber vegetables contain, the less they are 
assimilated in the intestine. Experiments were made by 
Rubner with curled Savoy cabbage and green beans in respect 
to their assimilation, with the result that of the harder portion 
of the Savoy cabbage 14.9 per cent, of the nitrogen and 15.4 
per cent, of the carbohydrates were lost, and of the beans 15 
per cent, of nitrogen and 15 per cent, of the carbohydrates of 
the hard portions remained unassimilated. 

It is of the greatest importance that green vegetables be 
thoroughly cleansed before using them, since a number of 
bacteria and unclean substances of all kinds adhere to them 1 . 
The thorough washing of the salads which are eaten raw is of 
the greatest importance. Worms are often found in carelessly 
cleaned vegetables. When not sufficiently cooked, tiny snails, 
which are sometimes found in vegetables, may prove injurious. 
In this way the green vegetables instead of benefiting the health 
may prove detrimental. 

When well prepared and properly cooked, green vegetables 
may often be very useful as remedial herbs. We have already 



250 Health Through Rational Diet. 

shown that they increase the alkalinity of the blood; in this 
way affections like gout and diabetes, in which there is acidity 
of the blood, may be much benefited. We might add that, as 
remedial agents, vegetables — in addition to this important in- 
crease of alkalinity — exert, owing to their cellulose, a very 
favorable action upon the intestines, thus preventing or benefit- 
ing constipation. Since the most remote times many curative 
properties have been ascribed to green vegetables, and the 
medicinal treasures of the old masters of healing contained 
many of the vegetables now in use. In the progress of the 
science of medicine, with the painstaking experiments of the 
present day, their claims have been set aside. Nearly all of 
the green vegetables, however, have the property of alkaliniz- 
ing the blood and improving the action of the bowels; the 
majority also have a more or less favorable effect upon diuresis, 
and some contain substances which stimulate the digestion. 
In this way they exert more of a curative action than almost 
any other food substance. In the diet of diabetics, gouty pa- 
tients, and those suffering from arteriosclerosis, green vege- 
tables occupy a first place. 

As regards the very useful and nutritive salt content, it 
would be well if one could extract the juices of the vegetables 
as is done with fruits. Should the taste not prove very agree- 
able, other substances might be added, for instance a few drops 
of lemon juice, or whenever practicable a little of some other 
fruit syrup. These extracts could then be taken as curative 
substances. This would present the advantage that the indi- 
gestibility of certain vegetables need not at all be taken into 
account. The exclusion of certain substances and a thorough 
cleansing before the pressing out of the juices would be an 
obvious necessity. Since the nutrient value of such vegetables 
is rather limited to begin with, the nutrient salts would in this 
way be fully utilized. 

We must, however, not overlook the fact that in addition 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 251 

to their many good properties green vegetables also possess 
some undesirable ones. Some herbs, such as sorrel, contain 
much oxalic acid, and the alkalinizing property is also* not al- 
ways desirable, as for instance in phosphaturia. The indigesti- 
bility of certain vegetables must also be taken into account, as 
is the case with roots, stalks, etc., which contain much cellulose. 
The most easily digested are the tender fresh vegetables and 
those cultivated in greenhouses, and also in gardens. Those 
growing in the wild state — as is also the case with wild 
animals — are less tender, and often contain more pungent sub- 
stances. These varieties, digested with difficulty, may be 
rendered more suitable for consumption by keeping them in 
dark places, as in a cellar from which the light is excluded ; in 
this way, although they lose their color, the chlorophyll, the 
fibers become more tender. Thus, salad when raised in a 
cellar is very much more easily masticated and digested, and 
the taste is also less acrid. 

Some vegetables, and in particular those of the cabbage 
family, cause considerable flatulence. Among these, cauli- 
flower is probably the most easily digested. We may mention 
here that vegetables have the property of taking up a large 
amount of fat, their nutritive quality being thereby much in- 
creased. 

We shall now refer to certain individual vegetables, al- 
though only the most important varieties, the scope of this 
work not permitting us to dwell upon all of them. 

One of the most important of the leaf vegetables is 
spinach, which is in general very easily digested ; for this it is 
necessary that the spinach be prepared as a smooth puree, and 
not served with the leaves entire, as is the custom in some 
countries, in which form it is less digestible. 

Spinach very readily gives off its coloring matter, and is 
consequently well adapted for the coloring of soups, etc. It 
absorbs large amounts of fat, and tastes very good when goose- 



252 Health Through Rational Diet. 

. — _ » 

fat is added to it, as was so often proven to his guests by the 
writer Alexander Dumas — who prepared it in person. It is 
said that spinach tastes better when warmed over. By the 
addition of eggs the nutritive value is increased. A very prac- 
tical method and one of much dietetic value is to add the yolks 
of two eggs to the spinach, stirring them in ; this also greatly 
improves the taste. There is scarcely any other vegetable 
which is so prized in the practice of dietetics as spinach, and in 
cures, as at Carlsbad, it plays an important role. It greatly 
favors the action of the bowels, and certainly induces less 
flatulence than most other vegetables of the cabbage group. 
But even so desirable an article of diet as spinach is not with- 
out its drawbacks. It is frequently the cause of oxalic acid 
formation. I have very often observed the presence of oxalic 
acid in the urine of my patients at Carlsbad. In healthy 
persons, of course, this is of no importance, especially in those 
who often show oxalic acid in the urine. 

Much more oxalic acid — the largest amount contained in 
any vegetable — is present in sorrel, which fact should be taken 
into account when the latter is used. This vegetable has a 
very sour taste. It is best eaten in puree form. Sorrel some- 
times causes intestinal or gastric disturbances when taken in 
combination with sour fruit. 

Water cress also contains an acrid substance. It has long 
been credited with the property of stimulating the secretion of 
saliva and cleansing the mouth, for which reason it has often 
been used in ulcers of the mouth. Cress stimulates the appe- 
tite, and is often served with fine roasts. It is digested the 
most easily when taken. in the form of a puree. This vegetable 
was in great favor among the ancient Persians, as well as the 
Greeks and Romans, not only as a food, but also as a medicinal 
agent. The name "sante du corps" (health of the body), 
which was given to it by the French, shows how greatly it was 
esteemed by them. It is an interesting fact that this vegetable, 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 253 

which was first cultivated in Germany at Erfurt, was seen there 
by an officer of Napoleon's army named Cardon, who* intn> 
duced it into France. In the latter country it is eaten in con- 
siderable amounts at almost every meal; in Austria and 
Germany, on the other hand, it is used comparatively seldom. 

Water cress requires much water in order to thrive. It 
should be mentioned, however, that when the watery soil in 
which it grows becomes contaminated with drain water con- 
taining the bacilli of typhoid fever, as is not infrequently the 
case, it may transmit the disease. Cress is sometimes used for 
its medicinal properties. It contains important substances, 
such as iodine, iron, etc. Its juice is claimed by certain authors 
to be useful in many skin diseases: very stubborn cases of 
eczema are said to* have been cured with it. In constipation it 
has a favorable action, and also stimulates the appetite. 

Another vegetable which improves the appetite is parsley. 
It stimulates the sense of taste and helps the digestion: it is 
much used for soups, sauces, and as an addition to* many foods 
that would seem rather tasteless without it. It also promotes 
the flow of urine and augments the perspiration. Apiol, which 
is used in menstrual disorders, hysteria, etc., is obtained from 
parsley. 

A much-used vegetable is celery, which also has a stimu- 
lating action. As a remedial agent it is beneficial in flatulence, 
and for this purpose a kind of preserve is made from celery 
stalks. It is also a generally accepted fact, especially in the 
Latin countries, that celery exerts a stimulating effect upon 
sexual activity. 

In some countries — as in England — celery is frequently 
eaten raw at the end of the meal. In this form it is certainly 
not very easily digested. In England and America it is also 
used as a salad ; during my stay in America I often had occa- 
sion to take it mixed with grapes in a sort of mayonnaise. 

Owing to a bitter substance contained in it, chicory also 



254 Health Through Rational Diet. 

has a favorable action upon the appetite. It is interesting to 
see with what avidity animals, especially pigs, will devour 
chicory growing wild. Probably their instinct tells them that 
it is a useful plant. The roots in particular are very bitter. 
Animals which feed upon these plants are thereby protected 
against skin diseases. Chicory has a strengthening influence 
upon weak animals. In some countries, as in Belgium, espe- 
cially in Brussels and its vicinity, this plant is extensively cul- 
tivated. A special variety is raised there which, when kept in 
the dark, becomes more digestible, having tender fibers and 
also a finer taste ; Brussels chicory is renowned for this reason. 
Owing to the bitter substance contained in it, chicory, when 
well cooked, has a favorable action upon the digestive proc- 
esses, but if eaten as a salad it is very indigestible. When the 
roots have been dried, then roasted and finely ground, a well- 
known, although not universally liked, substitute for coffee is 
obtained. It is surprising that this substitute, which so fre- 
quently gives rise to much disappointment when a good cup of 
coffee is expected, should have been placed upon the market 
in the very country where generally the best coffee in Europe 
is drunk, viz., in Holland. 

Endive is a variety of chicory which is even more bitter. 
It is cultivated chiefly in Holland. It contains 2.78 per cent, 
of nitrogen, 0.76 per cent, of sugar, 1.19 per cent, of other 
carbohydrates, and 0.82 per cent, of cellulose. 

Two varieties of herbs have already been mentioned that 
are rich in oxalic acid ; we shall now add rhubarb, which, like 
celery, is much used in England. Rhubarb is, however, not 
easily digested; owing to its acid content, it, like sorrel, very 
often has an unfavorable action upon the stomach. Owing to 
the acid contained in it, its use should be forbidden in kidney 
affections and particularly in oxaluria. According to Konig, 
it contains 0.82 per cent, of nitrogen, 0.18 per cent, of sugar, 
and 0.52 per cent, of cellulose, together with 0.78 per cent, of 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 255 

oxalic acid in the fresh substance and 14.23 per cent, in the 
dry substance, and malic acid in the stalks and leaf-stems; 
3.28 per cent, of sugar is also contained in the dry substance. 

A very delicious vegetable, and probably one of the most 
prized of all, is asparagus. As a nourishing food it is not, to 
be sure, of very great value, since it only contains 0.47 per 
cent, of sugar, 2.80 per cent, of other carbohydrates, and a 
rather large amount — 1.54 per cent. — of cellulose. The young 
shoots are most easily digested, as are also the tips and upper 
portions of the asparagus; the lower portion contains much 
fiber and is therefore indigestible. 

Already in the time of the ancient Greeks, asparagus was 
held in great esteem among high livers, as stated by Theo^ 
phrastos, and its high price even now practically restricts 
its use to such circles. It is a luxury among vegetables, 
having almost no nutritive value. When added to other 
foods, as in a mixture of eggs with asparagus tips, it improves 
the taste, stimulates the appetite, and is, in this way, useful. 
Asparagus contains a considerable amount of iron, which con- 
stitutes about 3.38 per cent, of the ash. It is also rich in certain 
other nutrient salts — containing, according to Konig, 1 in the 
ash 24.04 per cent, of potash, 17.07 per cent, of soda, 10.85 
per cent, of lime, 4.32 per cent, of magnesia, 3.38 per cent, of 
iron oxide, 18.57 per cent, of phosphoric acid, 6.18 per cent, 
of sulphuric acid, and 10.9 per cent, of silicic acid. It very 
often contains even much more potash than the amount stated. 

Asparagus contains an amido-compound — asparagin — to 
which an influence upon glycogen formation is ascribed, and 
which is said to exert a favorable action in diabetes. It should 
be remembered, however, that asparagus greatly increases the 
flow of urine, and, when diabetics pass very much urine, aspara- 
gus is not to be recommended for them. The same may be 
said of its use in kidney affections, catarrh of the bladder, 

1 After Konig, ii, p. 924. 



256 Health Through Rational Diet. 



strangury, and diseases of the prostate. When asparagus has 
been eaten the urine has a peculiar, unpleasant odor, but when 
a few drops of turpentine are added this is changed into an 
agreeable violet perfume. 

Asparagus when freshly cut — particularly in May — has 
rather an agreeable aroma, and, even though cut for some 
little time, it will preserve this aroma when kept in a damp 
place, standing in sand with the tips up. The property of 
promoting sexual activity has frequently been ascribed to it. 
Asparagus tips in syrup were used by Broussais to quiet cardiac 
action. 

Asparagus tastes much the best when freshly cut. It soon 
loses its flavor, and when used canned or bottled is not nearly 
so good. It is pretty rich in extractives and promotes the for- 
mation of uric acid, as it contains 0.25 per cent, of purin bodies. 
It is consequently not well adapted for gouty patients. 

In the treatment of gout, obesity, and often in diabetes, 
the above-named vegetables are useful, since, because of their 
bulk, they appease hunger without greatly increasing metarxv- 
lism, as they contain only small amounts of nutritive sub- 
stances. Some varieties contain more of these than others, but 
besides these so much cellulose that the intestinal juices cannot 
well act upon them. They are consequently not readily taken 
up into the blood. The oyster plant belongs to this class. It 
contains 80.39 P er cent, of water, only 1.09 per cent, of protein, 
but 2.29 per cent, of sugar and 12.61 per cent, of other carbo- 
hydrates. The cellulose content is large, amounting to 2.2J 
per cent. In the dry substance this vegetable contains 5.31 per 
cent, of protein and 75.97 per cent, carbohydrates. Notwith- 
standing the considerable carbohydrate content, it is not in- 
jurious for diabetics, since it contains much inulin, the primary 
substance of fruit-sugar, which is frequently much better borne. 
This vegetable is also poorly assimilated, which is usually an 
advantage in diabetes. After its use I have frequently noticed 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 257 

quite normal looking fragments of oyster plant in the feces, 
which would indicate that it should be classed among the least 
nutritious vegetables. Of the 14.81 per cent, of carbohydrates 
only 12.44 P er cent - are assimilated (Konig). It has still 
another advantage, namely, that it is very satisfying; when 
fried in plenty of butter it is a very palatable food. For gouty 
patients and obese persons, it would be a desirable food, since 
not very much of it can be eaten, but in obesity not much butter 
should be added. The young shoots of hops are also a very 
good food. 

Artichokes are very rich in carbohydrates, especially in 
the lower portions of the vegetable. They contain 1 5 per cent, 
of carbohydrate, of which 0.57 per cent, is glucose and 2.84 
per cent, dextrose. The nitrogen content is 1.68 per cent. The 
lower part of the vegetable 1 contains 0.21 per cent, glucose and 
2.06 per cent, dextrose, with 2.54 per cent, of protein. 

The lower portion of the artichoke is that chiefly used. 
It may be prepared in the form' of a puree, and is easily 
digested in this way. We may here mention the rather large 
content of tannic acid, which turns the knife black. 

The cabbage family is poorer in carbohydrates, but con- 
tains more protein than the above-named vegetables, some- 
times as much as 9 per cent, or even more. Their content of 
nutrient salts is even more important. The various kinds of 
cabbage occupy a prominent place among our vegetable foods, 
but have the disadvantage that they are, in general, not easily 
digested. The top of the cauliflower is the best in this con- 
nection, and when it is well cooked it almost melts in the 
mouth. The lower part is more difficult to digest, and the 
upper portion is all that should be eaten. Cauliflower, like all 
the cabbage variety, has the property of causing considerable 
flatulence; indeed, this class of vegetable does so more than 
almost any other food. 

1 Konig, ii, p. 925. 

17 



258 Health Through Rational Diet. 

When the ground has been well fertilized, cauliflower 
sometimes attains an almost incredible size. Specimens of this 
sort can be seen in the neighborhood of Frankfort and Nassau. 
Cauliflower is rich in potash, lime, phosphorus (13 per cent.), 
with 12.81 per cent, of silicic acid in the ash. 

A rather easily digested variety of cabbage is Brussels 
sprouts ; the finest specimens are found in Belgium, which coun- 
try is, so to speak, really one large vegetable garden. Here 
and in Holland probably the best vegetables in the world are 
grown. Brussels sprouts are a very interesting variety among 
the cabbages ; the plant shoots up like a tree among its brothers 
in the vegetable patch, and clustering around its stalk are found 
the little rose-like flowers. In the German language it is called 
"rose cabbage." The taste, like that of the cauliflower, is very 
pleasant, and it is quite nourishing, since it contains 4.81 per 
cent, of protein. In this connection, however, it should be 
remembered that a considerable part of this vegetable is not 
made up of protein combinations and is consequently not as- 
similated. Of the 6.22 per cent, of carbohydrates only about 
5.22 per cent, is absorbed. But, even so, Brussels sprouts are 
nourishing and easily digested, and probably cause rather less 
flatulence than the other varieties of cabbage. It would be 
desirable to have this very useful vegetable cultivated to a 
greater extent in Austria. The nutritive properties of both 
the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are greatly enhanced by 
the customary addition of a good deal of butter, of which 
Brussels sprouts in particular take up a considerable quantity. 
For diabetics the cabbage family are excellent vegetables, and 
cauliflower in particular should occupy a prominent place in 
the bill of fare of diabetic patients. 

The red and white cabbages are poorer in nutritive prop- 
erties than the above-named varieties. They contain less than 
2 per cent, of protein, with 2 per cent, of sugar, and 3 to 4 
per cent, other carbohydrates. They must be well cooked, for 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 259 

they are hard to digest ; when thoroughly cooked, red cabbage 
is somewhat improved in this respect. Since these two vege- 
tables are not nourishing, it is rather necessary to add some 
fat to them. They contain quite an amount of the nutritive 
salts. The outer leaves of white cabbage contain much lime 
(27.88 per cent.), and the heart contains 37.82 per cent, of 
potash and 12.30 per cent, of phosphorus. Neither the taste 
nor the digestibility of white cabbage is calculated to make it 
a popular vegetable. It is only made so when, by a process of 
fermentation, it has been converted into sauerkraut. In this 
way it becomes a useful vegetable, which we shall now 
consider. 

2. The Advantages of Sauerkraut. 

Sauerkraut is by some considered very indigestible. This 
is, however, not the case when it has been properly prepared. 
It is made by adding 3 per cent, of common salt to white cab- 
bage, which withdraws a quantity of fluid from the latter. All 
varieties of cabbage contain quite a considerable quantity of 
fluid. Heavy weights are laid upon the cabbage after packing 
it in kegs, and so much fluid is pressed out that the cabbage 
fairly bathes in it. When kept at a temperature of n° C. it 
ferments by means of yeast and bacteria; the sugar is fer- 
mented, and lactic acid is formed. This acts upon the fibers of 
the cabbage, and after a time they are softened. When it is 
very thoroughly cooked the fibers are still further softened, 
thus making out of this indigestible vegetable the much more 
digestible sauerkraut. It has, further, the advantage due to its 
lactic acid of exerting a kind of disinfecting process in the 
intestine. In many cases of intestinal catarrh, especially when 
large quantities of decomposition products are present, sauer- 
kraut may have a favorable action, and I have several times 
observed very good results following its use. It might also 
'be added that the pleasant sour taste has a stimulating effect 



260 Health Through Rational Diet. 



upon the appetite, especially in cases where the stomach is in 
good condition. This applies also to cases in which the loss of 
appetite is due to such influences as depressed spirits, over- 
work, etc., in which cases, also, no gastric juice is secreted. 
Here the pleasantly piquant taste of sauerkraut may have a 
beneficial effect, and in several such cases I have had good 
results when one or two* tablespoonfuls of sauerkraut were 
taken at the beginning of the meal. In order, however, that 
these beneficial effects may follow, care should be taken not to 
throw away all of the juice and then serve the sauerkraut quite 
dry, as is unfortunately frequently the case in restaurants and 
even in private houses. In this way the useful lactic acid con- 
tent is diminished; this juice also has a very refreshing and 
pleasant taste. When cleanliness is exercised in the prepara- 
tion of sauerkraut this lactic-acid-laden juice would be a very 
useful drink, just as is the juice of pickled cucumbers. I found 
that when during the hot summer days I had no appetite I 
could stimulate it by taking a little of this juice. Of course, 
the salt has something to do with this. It is necessary that not 
more than 3 per cent, of salt be added. I have also noted that 
the addition of sour milk or cream or jogurt to the cooked 
sauerkraut was very useful, its nutritive value, which is other- 
wise not very great, being thereby increased. The same is the 
case when considerable butter is added. When the sauerkraut 
is of itself too sour, it may be improved by the addition of 
sweet milk, or by adding some tomato sauce, which is rather 
sweet. It could also* be mixed with a little sugar. 

Tomato sauerkraut is a very excellent and palatable food. 
It is not hard to digest, especially when sufficiently cooked, and 
it can be made even more digestible when it is cooked a second 
time. Many people are of the opinion that both sauerkraut and 
tomato sauerkraut taste better when warmed over a day or two 
after the first cooking; at all events they are certainly more 
easily digested in this way. 



- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 261 



Like many other good things of this world sauerkraut — 
the tomato sauerkraut rather less — has a defect. It causes 
flatulence in many persons, but it has at the same time a favor- 
able effect upon the bowel movements. The salt content would 
be a disadvantage in cases of kidney diseases. 

3. Tubers, Husk Vegetables, and Vegetable Fruits. 

Although the varieties of vegetables described under this 
head do not as a general thing possess the same curative prop- 
erties as those treated in the previous chapter, they are, on the 
other hand, more nutritious, owing to their greater starch 
content. The assimilation products absorbed from the air by 
the leaves are deposited in the root tubers in the form of starch, 
and it is just these products which we shall now discuss as 
food. The tuberous roots most rich in starch, such as the 
tropical varieties and the potatoes, have already been described. 
We shall now consider the turnips and other tubers of this 
class. 

The turnips most frequently used are no doubt the yellow 
turnips. They contain in the natural substance, according to 
Konig, 1. 18 per cent, proteins, 0.12 per cent, fat, 4.03 per 
cent, of sugar, with 3 per cent, of other carbohydrates and 1.62 
per cent, of cellulose. In the dry substance they contain 8.91 
per cent, of protein, 68.48 per cent, of carbohydrate, and 1.43 
per cent, nitrogen. 

Of nutrient salts the yellow turnip 1 contains much lime — 
11.34 per cent. — and 36.93 per cent, potash, 21.17 P er cent . 
soda, 1. 01 per cent, iron, 0.45 per cent, sulphur; thus, there is 
much potash and soda in addition to the considerable amount 
of lime. 

While their high content of certain salts would lead us to 
consider yellow turnips as a useful vegetable, they are unfor- 

l Konig, ii, p. 913. 



262 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



tunately not well assimilated by the intestine, as Rubner states 
that a considerable portion of the nutritive substance is elimi- 
nated unused. The yellow turnip promotes the action of the 
bowels. The "red turnip" — the beet — is principally used as a 
salad. According to* Konig, i, p. JJ2, it contains 0.54 per cent, 
of sugar and 9.02 per cent, of other carbohydrates; those 
gathered in the beginning of August contain 1.37 per cent, of 
protein, and beets in general contain 1.05 per cent, of cellulose. 
We here give, according to Konig, ii, p. 917, a list of the 
various root vegetables, with their nutrient content : — 



Small beets 

Small yellow turnips 
Teltower turnips . . . 

Kohlrabi 

Large radishes 
(black and white) 

Small radishes 

Oyster plant 

Celery 

Horseradish 











6 

2 
■a . 
























. a 


a 


a 


. 


£° 


a 


a 


J3 . C 


fc ® 


v> ° 





*- a> 


v 


JS <u 


© 


aT3 £ 









be u 


£ 


a 


. 






O u 




U U 


~ '— 


.S i_ 


M U 


££ . 


jh a> 


rt a> 


3 u 


a a> 




to 4) 


J3 ™ a> 


ftft 


ftft 


CGft 


Oft 


Oft 


<ft 


ft ft 


88.05 


1.50 


0.10 


0.50 


7.78 


1.07 


1.00 


0.090 


88.84 


1.07 


0.21 


1.58 


6.59 


0.98 


0.73 


0.131 


81.90 


3.52 


0.14 


1.24 


10.10 


1.82 


1.28 


0.190 


85.89 


2.87 


0.21 


0.38 


7.80 


1.68 


1.17 


0.127 


86.92 


1.92 


0.11 


1.53 


6.90 


1.55 


1.07 


0.132 


93.34 


1.23 


0.15 


0.88 


2.91 


0.75 


0.74 


0.073 


80.39 


1.04 


0.50 


2.19 


12.67 


2.27 


0.99 


0.120 


84.09 


1.48 


0.39 


0.77 


11.03 


1.40 


0.84 


0.740 


76.72 


2.73 


0.35 


trace 


15.89 


2.78 


1.53 


0.199 



0.008 
0.015 
0.079 
0.069 

0.072 
0.017 
0.041 
0.210 
0.078 



Kohlrabi 

Large radish 
(black and white) 

Small radish 

Horseradish 









d . 


a. 

2-^ 


2 . 




■a 


J3 8 


a 


c 


£a 


x a 


* 


3° 


a a 


"3 S 




„; ® 


5 O 


m 


a <u 


H « 




Bu 


■n u 


a * 


Ss 


5^ 


O n 


Q° 


SS 


O V 

ftft 


Wft 


.Jft 


.3 « 

Sft 


*£ 


££ 


■3© 

Mft 


coft 


35.31 


6.53 


10.97 


6.84,3.02 


21.90 


8.84 


2.84 


21.98 


3.75 


8.78 


3.53 1 1.16 


41.12 


7.71 


8.17 


32.00 


21.14 


14.94 2.60 2.34 


10.86 


6.46 


0.91 


30.76 


3.96 


8.23 


2.91 


1.94 


7.75 


30.79 


12.72 



a§ 
P 

O (!) 

Oft 



4.94 

4.90 
9.14 
0.94 



A variety of turnip which is not much used, although 
deserving of more attention, is the white turnip. It probably 
contains the most water of any : 93 to 95 per cent. It is quite 
rich in nutrient salts, 45 per cent, potash and 10.60 per cent. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 263 

lime, but, owing to its indigestibility and poor assimilation, 
quite a good deal of these salts is lost. The digestibility and 
general value of white turnips may be increased by salting 
them and allowing them to ferment, as is also done with the 
white cabbage. When cooked they may be mixed with sour 
milk or cream, and also with tomato sauce. Like the yellow 
turnips, they likewise have a favorable action upon the bowels. 

Kohlrabi is much more used than white turnips. This 
variety of turnip has a sweetish taste, but does not contain 
very much sugar, only 0.38 per cent., with 7.80 per cent, of 
carbohydrates, of which a certain amount, owing to its chemi- 
cal composition and poor assimilation, need not be taken into 
account. Kohlrabi contains 1.68 per cent, of cellulose, rather 
more than does white cabbage, and, while the total carbohy- 
drate content amounts to 8.47 per cent., only 6.87 per cent, is 
assimilated. Very nearly one-half this amount is fruit-sugar, 
which is well tolerated by many diabetics. For this reason 
kohlrabi may be recommended in diabetes. What is here said 
of the kohlrabi is applicable to many other vegetables. 

Less as a vegetable, but more as a stimulant for the appe- 
tite, the large radishes — both black and white — have come into 
use. They do excite the appetite, but are of themselves very 
indigestible. They should consequently not be used by persons 
having weak stomachs. For healthy persons with good stom- 
achs they are an excellent food at the beginning of a meal, 
especially the smaller and more tender radishes. 

Horseradish is rather to be regarded as a pungent flavor- 
ing substance than as a vegetable, which should only be used 
by perfectly healthy persons as a stimulant for the appetite in 
combination with other foods. Even healthy persons would 
do well to use it but sparingly. Like the onion, the horse- 
radish should only be used to* improve the taste of certain 
foods. Both of these vegetables may have an injurious action 
upon the kidneys owing to the pungent substances they contain. 



264 Health Through Rational Diet. 

The various radishes contain a pungent substance, an 
ethereal oil similar to that contained in mustard. The smaller 
varieties of radishes are more easily digested than the larger 
ones, but when not well masticated and salivated will cause 
disagreeable eructations. In summer the large radish will be 
found useful when the appetite may for various reasons not 
be quite up to the mark. It should first be well salted, which 
will draw out some of its fluid content, and should then be left 
covered up for a time until more juice has been extracted. In 
this way the fibers are somewhat softened, and are rendered 
more digestible. People possessed of a good stomach can eat 
quite a good deal of it at the beginning of a meal, and yet have 
plenty of appetite for the rest of the food. It is not without 
nutritive qualities, since it contains 8.47 per cent, of carbohy- 
drate, but there is a large amount of fiber, sq only 7 per cent, 
of the carbohydrate is assimilated. Small quantities may be 
taken by diabetics, but the smaller varieties, which contain only 
3.79 per cent, of carbohydrates, would be better; of these, but 
3.18 per cent, is assimilated. 

The tomato, with its pleasant acid taste, — the name 
tomato comes from the Aztec (Mexico) word tomatl, 1 — is 
another agreeable addition to various other foods. It also has 
a certain nutritive value, since, according to. Bailey and 
Lodema, 2 it contains 4 to 5 per cent, of sugar. In this country 
it is principally the juice which is used; it is put up in bottles 
in the summer, and is then used throughout the year, to flavor 
other foods, such as rice, potatoes, cabbage, etc. When a con- 
siderable quantity of tomato is used the nutritive properties are 
naturally improved. Owing to its content in citric and malonic 
acid, — 0.7 to 0.8 per cent., — the tomato may be regarded as a 
healthful food. 

In some countries, and particularly in England, America, 



1 The ancient Mexicans already cultivated the tomato. 

2 Centralblatt fur Agrikulturchemie, 1890, p. 493. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 265 

Spain, and Italy, this vegetable is also eaten raw as a salad. 
The meat is tender, and when this alone is eaten it is easily 
digested ; when the seeds are also used they may have a some- 
what beneficial action, as do figs, by exercising a sort of 
massage upon the intestinal mucous membrane. As a disad- 
vantageous feature it may be mentioned that tomato contains 
a small quantity of oxalic acid. 

When prepared as an acid vegetable the cucumber may 
also prove useful. In general, it is not easily digested, but 
when it undergoes a process of fermentation in salt water its 
tissues are softened by the action of the lactic acid which is 
thus formed, so that it becomes somewhat more digestible. 
The salted cucumber pickle would therefore probably be the 
most healthful mode of using the cucumber, except in the cases 
in which salt is to be avoided, as in kidney affections. 

The cucumber is not rich in nutritive substances. It con- 
tains only 1.09 per cent, of protein, but the carbohydrates are 
rather better represented, there being 1.12 per cent, of sugar 
and 1.09 per cent, of other carbohydrates. Large cucumbers 
contain more sugar and are therefore better adapted for pre- 
serving. According to Konig, 1 the nutrient salt content of the 
cucumber is in the ash 51.71 per cent, of potash, 4.19 per cent, 
soda, 6.97 per cent, of lime, 0.75 per cent, iron, 13.10 per cent, 
phosphorus, and a considerable amount of chlorine, 9.16 per 
cent. 

The pumpkin is likewise prepared as a sour vegetable in 
some countries, as in Hungary. It is also used like cabbage in 
combination with various dishes prepared from, flour, such as 
the "strudel." In my opinion, this vegetable is undeservedly 
neglected as a food, for it contains a considerable quantity of 
nutritive substance. It only contains 1.10 per cent, of protein, 
but over 6 per cent, of carbohydrate, of which 1.29 per cent, 
is in the form of sugar, and 5.16 per cent, in other carbohy- 

1 Loc. cit., ii, p. 922. 



266 Health Through Rational Diet. 



drates. The small pumpkin is worthy of much greater atten- 
tion than is accorded it at present, since it contains as much as 
6 per cent, of sugar (4 per cent, grape-sugar and 1.50 per cent, 
cane-sugar). It is therefore a nutritious vegetable, and its 
taste is very agreeable. Of the nutrient salts it contains much 
phosphorus, up to 33 per cent, in the ash, and much soda and 
lime, 21.13 an d 7-79 per cent. ; it is very poor in common salt. 

The melon is much more used and liked than the pumpkin, 
although some varieties of the former are less nutritious than 
the dried pumpkin. According to Konig, the melon contains 
0.84 per cent, protein, 3.41 per cent, sugar, and up to 3 per 
cent, of other carbohydrates; the American sugarmelon con- 
tains 8 to 12 per cent, of sugar, together with the other carbo- 
hydrates. 1 The watermelon has 0.61 per cent, of protein, 4.21 
per cent, sugar, and 1.07 per cent, of other carbohydrates. 
When we drink melon juice we absorb 4.14 per cent, of invert- 
sugar and 0.17 to 0.19 per ct. of malic acid. Notwithstanding 
the fact that the cellulose content of the melon is not great, — 
1.06 per cent., — it is nevertheless hard to digest, as is also the 
pumpkin, especially when not quite ripe. Both of them have 
laxative properties, but they may also have an irritating effect 
on the intestine, thus causing diarrhea and intestinal catarrh. 
The juice of the watermelon is very refreshing in the heat of 
summer, and in some countries, as in Turkey, Spain, and Hun- 
gary, this fruit is much eaten. The negroes in the United 
States are particularly fond of watermelon. When there is 
catarrh of the intestine or a tendency to diarrhea melon is a 
dangerous food, and when cholera is prevalent the people are 
warned against its use. 

To a much greater extent than the above-named vege- 
tables, green peas form a nourishing, and also a very palatable, 
food. They contain (according to Konig, i, p. 781) 9.50 per 
cent, of sugar and other carbohydrates and 5.54 per cent, of 

1 Konig, i, p. 781. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 267 

nitrogen, with 1.61 per cent, of cellulose. Green peas should 
be classed among the most nutritious and most easily digested 
vegetables, especially when they are young and tender; they 
contain but little cellulose. When they are older they are more 
nourishing, but also contain more of the latter substance, and 
are digested with more difficulty, both in the stomach and in- 
testine. Peas should not be given to small children, who, as 
I have frequently observed, simply swallow them whole, in 
which form they are also passed out through the intestine, 
after having caused irritation of the latter. The garden variety 
of green peas may contain as much as 62.45 P^ r cent - °f sugar 
and other carbohydrates, of which only 10.40 per cent, is as- 
similated. 

String beans are less nourishing and more indigestible. 
They consist principally of inosite, and, as this substance does 
not increase the sugar in the urine in diabetes, string beans 
represent one of the most desirable among the green vegetables 
for patients suffering from that disease. Of the 6.60 per cent, 
of carbohydrates only about 5.54 per cent, is assimilated. 
Green string beans contain much less sugar than peas, only 
about 1. 16 per cent. 

4. Concerning Winter Vegetables, Canned and Preserved 
Vegetables, and Salads. 

In our climate but very few fresh vegetables can be had 
in winter. A few varieties of cabbage, like the red cabbage 
and possibly some few others, are to be had when the winter is 
not yet well advanced. Brussels sprouts, chicory and endive, 
etc., may often be obtained late in the autumn. Even in the 
middle of winter one may have fresh vegetables by growing 
them in a cellar, in which case one first spreads out a layer of 
earth, then some manure, and on the top another layer of soil. 
Such vegetables as do not absolutely require light can be made 
to grow well in a cellar, and some kinds, like the chicory and 



268 Health Through Rational Diet. 



endive, even lose a part of their bitter taste. Certain fungi, 
like the mushrooms, can be planted in a cellar. The same is 
the case with salad, and usually the vegetables raised in this 
way are rather more easily digested, although they are poorer 
in some of the salts — iron, for instance. Naturally, the salad 
grown in the open is much better, particularly because of its 
high content of iron, 5.31 per cent., and other nutrient salts. 
It also contains 37.63 per cent, of potash, 7.54 per cent, of soda, 
the rather large amount of 14.68 per cent, of lime, 6.19 per 
cent, of magnesia, 9.19 per cent, of phosphorus, 8.14 per cent, 
of silicic acid, and 7.65 per cent, of chlorine. 1 

Salad thus grown also contains acids, like citric acid, in 
combination with the potash. The amount of nutrient sub- 
stance is very small, and it has less of protein (1.92 per cent.) 
than the field salad (2 per cent.), but is generally more easily 
digested. The sugar content is only 0.11 per cent, and the 
other carbohydrates are likewise poorly represented, for which 
reason it may be freely eaten by diabetics. It is also useful 
owing to the salts contained in it, which have an alkalinizing 
action. Head salad when well prepared with good ingredients 
is a very good food in summer. It is more healthful when 
mixed with lemon juice than with vinegar. Nature has already 
provided it with some citric acid, and when a good vegetable 
oil, like olive oil, is added its nutritive value, which is really 
slight, is considerably increased. 

In the heat of summer the fresh acid taste of such salad 
increases the appetite, and it is a useful adjunct to meat foods. 
We have already referred to other varieties of salad, like the 
endive, chicory, cress, etc., as well as tomatoes and cucumbers. 
As a salad vegetable we may also mention the olive, which 
would prove very nutritious, owing to the oil contained in it, 
were it not for the fact that it is very indigestible. In some 
countries, as in France, Italy, and Spain, the olive is eaten at 

1 Konig, ii, p. 927. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 269 

the beginning of a meal, as a "hors d'oeuvre," for the purpose 
of stimulating the appetite. The olive contains barely i per 
cent, of protein, but rather more carbohydrate (9 per cent.) 
and a great deal of fat (18 per cent. ) . In salads it is especially 
important to use pure oil, with preferably lemon juice or the 
best vinegar. 

Olive salad can always be used during the winter, the 
summer vegetables being also available when preserved. 
Naturally, preserved vegetables are never as good as fresh 
ones; the fine flavor is impaired, but the nutritive substances 
and nutrient salts remain when the vegetables are kept, together 
with the juice in which they have been cooked. The vegetable 
must first be cooked and then be placed in sterilized bottles or 
large jars. The neck is then hermetically closed with rubber 
bands between the lids and bottles, in much the same way as 
in the Week process. This is probably the best method of 
keeping the vegetables. In the Week method the vegetables 
are cooked in the bottles. In this way the majority of summer 
vegetables may be at our disposal in the winter, although they 
will have lost some of their taste. Unfortunately bought pre- 
served vegetables often have the disadvantage that injurious 
substances have been added in order to give them a fine ap- 
pearance; thus, the peas and cucumbers have a wonderful 
green color. This is usually obtained by the addition or a very 
small quantity of copper sulphate or blue vitriol, and, although 
it is stated that experiments have shown that this is not in the 
least harmful to normal persons, the statement should not be 
depended upon. As we have shown in another portion of this 
work, the natural condition is always greatly to be preferred 
in everything, and, although such additions may not be directly 
fatal to life or to the health, the accumulation of such minimal 
quantities of injurious agents continued during a long time 
would probably prove injurious to the majority of persons. 
Even the vinegar in which some vegetables, such as cucumbers, 



270 Health Through Rational Diet. 

beets, etc., are pickled may often be injurious, owing to> the 
mineral acids contained in it. The mixed pickles of commerce 
are also very indigestible. 

(/) The Fruit Diet. 

i. Fruit as a Food, and the Nutritive Value of the 
Various Varieties. 

We have so far discussed the nutritive values of various 
foods; we shall now consider a class of foods in which the 
nutritive value is not the principal factor, but which are en- 
dowed with another peculiarity, namely: the refreshing prop- 
erties of their juices. Providence has so arranged that just in 
the very hottest regions the most juicy fruits are to be found, 
so that the faint and thirsty man may be refreshed by them. 
This is not only accomplished by the quantity of water con- 
tained in such fruits, but also by a series of organic acids and 
important salts which are represented in considerable amounts 
in their juices. Some fruits are richer in iron and lime than 
are many other foods. The refreshing action is not only the 
result of the organic acids above mentioned, but is also induced 
by the large quantities of sugar contained in some fruits. This 
makes them valuable foods, and dried figs, dates, and bananas 
are so nutritious because of the sugar contained in them that 
some vegetarians live only upon fruits. Such a diet might, it 
is true, contain much more of the carbohydrates than is re- 
quired for our daily ration, but a corresponding amount of the 
important nutrient substance, albumin, is missing, without 
which we cannot really thrive. The majority of fruits are very 
poor in albumin, and the quantity which is contained in them, 
as is also the case with the carbohydrates, cannot be well as- 
similated by our digestive organs, since the cellulose prevents 
the action of the digestive fluids. It is for this reason that 
some kinds of fruits are more digestible and better assimilated 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 271 

when they are cooked, since this process softens the cellulose. 
Unfortunately, however, considerable of the important nu- 
trient salts are thus lost, much being contained in the skins of 
the fruits. We have here an analogy to the cereals, in which 
important salts are also lost by the removal of the outer por- 
tions. When in peeling fruits the upper layer of the fruit- 
meat is removed, flavoring substances are lost, in which just 
this portion of the fruit is very rich. True vegetarians, there- 
fore, and especially those living upon fruits alone, do not pare 
the fruits, and eat them raw. Since for such a diet a very 
healthy stomach is required, it can certainly not become a 
general habit. As we have already said in referring to a vege- 
table diet, a diet of this sort followed for a time may un- 
doubtedly present great advantages, but to adopt it for a 
permanent use would give rise to great dangers for our health. 
On the other hand, the taking of a large quantity of easily 
digested fruit during several weeks, as a fruit or grape cure, 
may be very beneficial, since, as we shall show later on, it has 
a very favorable influence upon many conditions. A healthy 
person should always eat fruit in the raw state. For those who 
are ill or delicate, and particularly for those whose stomachs 
and intestines do not properly carry on their functions, the fruit 
should be stewed. When cooked, fruit, to be sure, loses not 
only a portion of the nutrient salts, but also of the carbohy- 
drates, as a considerable part of the sugar is cooked out into 
the sauce. When diabetics eat stewed fruit they should never 
eat the juice, which contains much sugar. In the cases in 
which the juice is eaten, the carbohydrates which have been 
lost are again replaced. The rather large quantity of acid has, 
like the fiber content, a very unfavorable action upon the diges- 
tion, particularly when the fruit is unripe; consequently only 
such as is fully ripe should be eaten. 

Negligence in this respect, particularly in the case of chil- 
dren, will give rise to serious intestinal disturbances. When 



272 






Health Through Rational Diet. 



the fruit ripens, the quantity of acid and cellulose is materially 
lessened. In some fruits which are gathered in an unripe condi- 
tion and kept for some time, the sugar content is increased 
owing to a ferment contained in them ; thus, very ripe bananas 
contain a great deal of sugar. In dried fruits such as bananas, 
figs, dates, etc., the sugar content is sometimes exceedingly 
great. 

The fine aroma, the perfume of the fruit, is caused by 
ethereal oils which are principally contained in the cells of the 
skins. Just as rice, as has already been explained, loses its 
taste when transported without the skin, so apples and pears 
lose all of their delicate aroma and flavor when they are left for 
a time without their skins. The organic acids are principally 
malic, tartaric, citric, and tannic. When too much of these 
is present the digestion suffers, and when too little the 
taste suffers. A small quantity of acid in some fruits may have 
a stimulating effect upon the appetite, thus starting the process 
of digestion. 

The sugar and acid contents of various fruits, according 
to Konig, 1 are as follows : — 



Fruits. 


Sugar content. 
Per cent. 


Free acid. 
Per cent. 


Apples 


8.55 
8.61 
7.76 
8.11 
6.66 
9.95 

14.95 
6.24 
4.29 
5.24 
5.72 
9.19 
7.93 
6.44 
1.53 

30.57 
5.65 


0.70 


Pears 


0.20 


Prunes 


0.92 


Peaches 


0.72 


Apricots 


1.05 


Cherries 


0.72 


G rapes 


0.77 


Strawberries 


1.10 


Raspberries 


1.45 


Huckleberries 


1.37 


Blackberries 


0.77 


Mulberries 


1.86 




1.37 


Currants 


2.24 


Red bilberries 




Medlars 


2.34 




1.35 







1 Konig : "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel," 
ii, p. 1489. In addition to the sugar content given other carbohydrates 



are present in small quantities. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 273 

The sugar content of a fruit may often be fairly well de- 
termined by the outward appearance of the skin. Truelle, after 
many years' observation, found that fruits with yellow skins 
contain much sugar and have a very penetrating odor ; with a 
red skin they contain a medium quantity of sugar and have a 
pleasant, delicate perfume; with a reddish-brown skin, very 
much sugar and but little perfume. As a general thing the 
fruits having a glossy skin are very juicy and have the most 
pronounced odors. 

In order to obtain fruit with a high content of sugar and 
only very little acid it must be left hanging on the tree until 
absolutely ripe. The later it is gathered, the stronger will be 
the perfume. 

According to Balland, 1 the constituents of various fruits 
are as follows : — 



Fruits. 



Apricots 

Pineapple in cans 

Bananas, peeled 

Figs, fresh 

Strawberries 

Raspberries 

Medlars, without acid 

Peaches 

Pears 

Apples 



^J 












a 
a 


n-u 






6 


<B.J 


o a 


v a 


a 


a 


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u a 


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0.93 


0.12 


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1.60 


1.41 


75.70 


0.60 


0.06 


18.40 


4.35 


0.57 


73.40 


1.44 


0.09 


21.90 


2.03 


1.22 


84.80 


0.79 


0.22 


8.30 


3.85 


1.23 


85.60 


0.31 


0.03 


3.30 


0.80 


0.36 


82.60 


1.60 


1.11 


7.14 


3.04 


3.91 


92.60 


0.61 


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1.40 


0.23 


86.60 


0.48 


0.48 


6.70 


3.63 


1.19 


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3.73 


1.12 


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5.51 


1.21 



a 
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0.64 
0.24 
0.92 
0.71 
0.21 
0.60 
0.69 
0.51 
0.17 
0.28 



J. Konig gives the following average composition of 
certain fruits, based on a series of analyses : — 



i Balland : Loc. cit., p. 252. 



18 



274 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



Fruits. 


. a 


<l> a 
o o 
£ f-l 


a 
• • «> 


o , 
O Oh 


P o 


c "3 

I- •-. 


Prunes 


81.18 
85.74 
79.82 
87.66 
84.77 


0.78 
0.78 
0.67 
0.57 
0.51 


6.15 

7.03 

10.24 

6.28 

6.18 


4.92 
1.91 
1.76 
6.48 
0.90 


5.41 
3.52 
6.07 
2.32 
4.57 


0.85 


Gooseberries 


1.15 


Cherries 


0.S1 


Strawberries 


0.93 


Currants 


1.15 







The sugar found in fruits is partly grape-sugar and partly 
fruit-sugar — about one-half of the latter; they also contain 
some cane-sugar. The nutrient salt content of fruits is quite 
important ; on the opposite page we present a list of the same 
according to Konig. 

Certain varieties of fruits contain appreciable quantities 
of manganese. Manganese oxide is found in the ash of 

Plums, fleshy portions 0.23 per cent. 

Plums, whole fruit 0.39 per cent. 

Apricots, fleshy portions 0.24 per cent. 

Apricots, whole fruit 0.37 per cent. 

Cherries 0.82 per cent. 

Grapes 0.24 per cent. 

Huckleberries 0.02 per cent. 

Figs 0.21 per cent. 



2. Concerning Apples, Apple Juice, Apple Tea, Cider. 
Other Fruits having Seeds and Pits. 



Some persons never go to bed without eating one or two 
apples, being of the opinion that they cause them to sleep better. 
I shall not here enter into the question as to whether this idea 
is well founded or not, although it is no doubt possible that by 
thus eating apples before retiring another hygienic result is 
achieved ; the acids contained in the apples have a certain anti- 
septic influence upon the micro-organisms present in the buccal 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 275 







































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276 Health Through Rational Diet. 

cavity and in the throat, and thus prevent inflammatory proc- 
esses in the throat, to which persons who> have large tonsils are 
particularly subject. The acids which are sometimes present 
in very large quantities in apples — especially the sour varie- 
ties^ — render them rather injurious for the stomach, and persons 
who are subject to acidity of the stomach should never eat 
apples. The sweet and juicy varieties are preferable, and those 
which ripen early in the summer are more easily digested, since 
they contain less cellulose, — we see here the similarity existing 
between the fruits and vegetables, and even animals if we con> 
pare the fiber with the connective tissue, — while the older fruits, 
especially the dried varieties, have a great deal of this fiber. 
The Tyrol ese apples are very easily digested, especially the 
"Kostlichen" varieties, and in Meran "apple cures" may be 
taken in the late summer or early in the autumn. According to 
personal experience, it is possible to eat 5 or 6 or even more of 
the "Kostlichen" apples without experiencing the least diffi- 
culty. They almost melt in the mouth. Apples may exert an 
alkalinizing effect, owing to the organic acids contained in 
them, which are converted into carbonate compounds by 
the combustion process, and it has been observed by Garrod, 
Weiss, and others that they are very beneficial in gout. It is 
also said that in regions where many apples are eaten, and 
where cider is drunk, renal calculi rarely occur. This may be 
due to the infrequency of uric acid concretions. 

Apples are also beneficial in diabetes. There is no other 
fruit which may be so unstintedly allowed for diabetics with 
the exception of the berry fruits. Cooked apples are to be pre- 
ferred, since a portion of the sugar is lost in cooking. Even one 
or two raw apples per day can, however, be allowed for many 
diabetic patients. It is a mistake to think that any number of 
sour apples may also be permitted in diabetes; it should be 
remembered that the acid taste merely disguises the sugar, but 
does not remove it, just as when giving sour milk to diabetics 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 277 

one must consider that, together with the lactic acid, the sugar 
is still present in the milk. Sour apples are not to be recom- 
mended for weak stomachs, because they usually contain much 
cellulose. Juicy, soft apples are the best, especially those which 
can be somewhat mashed or squeezed in by the fingers; the 
credit of being the very best of all must be conceded to the 
Tyrolese variety already mentioned. Canadian apples, par- 
ticularly those from the province of British Columbia, and also 
those from the State of Oregon in the United States, are very 
excellent juicy varieties, probably owing to climatic properties 
and those of the soil. Apples thrive best where the earth con- 
tains sugar-forming substances such as potash and phosphorus, 
and we must fertilize the soil with these substances if we wish 
to produce a fine quality of fruit. 

Apples are more digestible when stewed. In England and 
in America it is customary to bake them, and "baked apples" in 
which the cores have been previously removed are very pala- 
table and not hard to digest. When prepared as apple sauce 
they are most easily digested, but that made of very sour apples 
is not adapted for all stomachs. The juice of apples may also 
be used as a very agreeable sort of tea ; according to* Monteuis, 
this is made by cutting a large apple into 8 pieces, and pouring 
over it one-half liter of hot water ; it is then left on the e.dge of 
the fire for about two hours. To improve the taste 2 or 3 slices 
of orange or lemon are added, with 5 or 6 pieces of domino< or 
lump sugar. This is a very agreeable beverage for invalids, but 
healthy persons may also drink it instead of tea, as it tastes 
very good. It is to be served hot, and one obtains in this way, 
besides the juice, the full aroma of the apple, since the skin is 
left on. The juice of the apple is a very beneficial drink; we 
shall refer to the fruit juices later on, but will merely give here 
the average composition of apple juice in one liter of juice: — 

Sugar 126 grams. 

Acids 2 grams. 

Tannic acid 3 grams. 

Pectin bodies 9 grams. 



278 Health Through Rational Diet. 

To obtain the juice the apples are crushed in machines, 
and it is then extracted by pressure. From this juice cider is 
made, and when fermentation has taken place it becomes apple 
wine; as the latter contains 5 to 10 per cent, of alcohol, it has 
the same disadvantageous properties as alcoholic drinks in 
general. We recommend ' cider, as it has an excellent effect 
upon diuresis and defecation, and prevents the formation of 
uric acid concretions. Cider is a favorite drink among the 
Normans and Bretons, and the sparkling, though still unfer- 
mented, cider has a very agreeable taste; the same is not the 
case when the fermentation process has been completed, for 
like most fruit wines it does not taste as good as the wine made 
from grapes. The fruit wines have no advantage over the 
latter; in fact, the contrary is the case. 

In certain parts of Austria, and in Germany in particular, 
cider is much liked. A beverage resembling it is made from 
pears, "cidre de poires" (pear cider), which after fermentation 
contains more alcohol than apple wine. Much sweeter ciders 
are made from pears than from apples, and this high sugar 
content causes the greater content of alcohol. Pear juice does 
not taste as good as apple juice; it contains 126 to 148 grams 
of sugar per liter, and less tannic acid in general than apple 
juice. In my country pear cider is not much used, but in Nor- 
mandy and Brittany much of it is drunk, like the more agree- 
able apple cider. Pears often contain more juice than apples. 
The Salzburg pears are exceedingly juicy and have a delicious 
taste; the same is the case with the Kaiser pears and several 
other varieties. In general, however, pears are not easily 
digested, as they contain hard, gritty, and indigestible granules. 
Some varieties, when kept for a long time, get very soft, — 
almost like butter, — the amount of acids and cellulose being 
diminished by a fermentative action, and the grape-sugar is 
converted into the more agreeable fruit-sugar; they are then 
rather more digestible. Most of the varieties of pears are 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 279 

rendered more digestible by cooking, and some, like the Ameri- 
can canned pears, almost melt in the mouth. Although they 
have a most pleasant taste, the same objection applies to them 
as to preserved fruits in general. It is much the best to put up 
the fruit at home, cooking them in the Week appliances. Fruits 
preserved in glass in their own juice with the addition of a 
little cane-sugar are the most healthful. 

Apricots and peaches should only be eaten when perfectly 
ripe, in which manner they are easily digested. Since very 
ripe and soft fruit does not cook well, hard fruit is usually 
taken for this purpose, and thus it frequently happens that soft, 
ripe fruit is more easily digested raw than fruit that is cooked. 
Among peaches the free-stone varieties are best digested ; the 
cling stones are not to be recommended for weak stomachs. 
The finest and most juicy peaches are no doubt those grown in 
Hungary and in many parts of Austria ; apples and pears thrive 
best in Bohemia, and large numbers of very fine apples are 
shipped from there into Germany. 

In Hungary, Bosnia, v and Servia, and also the south of 
France, are produced many plums, which fruit plays so impor- 
tant a part as a remedy for constipation; dried plums, or 
prunes, in particular, possess this laxative property. For this 
purpose the large California plums as well as the Bordeaux 
plums are the best; they must, however, first be soaked in 
water, and the skins should be removed before they are eaten, 
since they are hard to digest owing to the amount of raw fiber 
they contain. 

Dried plums are most healthful when cooked, as the raw 
fiber is softened by the cooking, and is much more easily 
digested. 

Fresh raw plums, prunes, and green gages are well di- 
gested when they are ripe and tender. Prunes contain con- 
siderable boric acid, and Windisch found 0.17 per cent, of this 
in the juice; — also a certain amount of salicylic acid, which, 



280 Health Through Rational Diet. 

though present in some fruits, — to be discussed later on, — 
is not injurious to our bodies when taken in such minute quan- 
tities; indeed, it might rather serve some curative purpose. 
We consider plums and prunes, even when taken in large 
quantities, as more healthful than green gages; the former 
have a favorable action upon the bowels. 

3. Berries. 

It is a peculiar fact that the most delicious and appetizing 
garden strawberries attain their finest development when such 
repulsive substances as soft, fatty cow and stable manure is 
used in fertilizing the ground. Strawberries require nitrogen, 
phosphorus, and potash, and these are easiest furnished 
to them in this way. Fortunately, as has been shown by 
Remlinger and Noury, injurious bacterial substances cannot 
penetrate from the manure into the interior of vegetables and 
fruits. If, however, any one for esthetic reasons should object 
to this origin, or, better said, the assistance of such malodorous 
drainage substances, in growing the berries (unfortunately, 
estheticism ceases in animal functions and habits) he must 
confine himself to the wild strawberries. The wild strawberry 
usually has a much finer aroma, as is generally the case with 
all the wild varieties of berries. In the majority of fruits the 
aroma only lasts for a short time after they have been gathered, 
and strawberries taste much better in the woods than two days 
later at the fruit dealers'. Ripe berries are quite easily 
digested, but in those not quite ripe the great number of small 
seeds may have an irritating action. The large, ripe, garden 
variety is also easily digested, but, for weak stomachs and 
where there are intestinal disturbances, strawberries had best 
be forbidden. In gout, as has been shown by the experiments 
of Weiss in the laboratory of Bunge, strawberries may prove 
very beneficial, and in England strawberry cures have been 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 281 

i 

successfully resorted to. There, especially in London, great 
quantities of these berries are in the markets ; Denmark is also 
rich in strawberries, and they sell for a very low price in 
Copenhagen; in one of the fruit-selling establishments in that 
city, the "Jbrd^er" (strawberries) were named Andersen 
after the proprietor. In summer the strawberries are eaten 
in Denmark with the truly exquisite, thick, Danish cream, 
"Jordbaer met flode," and are most palatable. Strawberries 
are a valuable fruit for diabetics and arteriosclerotics, since 
they are not rich in sugar. The small seeds may exert a mild 
stimulating action upon the bowels. Their beneficial action in 
gout is not sufficiently explained by the small amount of 
salicylic acid, — 2 to 3 milligrams to the liter, — although it must 
not be forgotten that similar substances when combined with 
others, as in the body or in the foods, may act in homeopathic 
doses. As has been stated by Aron, 1 very minimum quantities 
of certain substances may cause rashes or eruption through 
chemical reactions occurring in the body. Raspberries are, as 
a general thing, much more indigestible than strawberries, 
owing to the large seeds ; but they also have a most agreeable 
aroma. The most indigestible of all berries are currants and 
gooseberries, the latter being the poorest in that respect. The 
considerable amount of cellulose in the skins of the latter and 
the seeds and the cellulose of the fleshy portions of the not 
overripe berries are conducive to this result. The juice of very 
ripe currants and gooseberries has a very pleasant taste. Ac- 
cording to Hebebrand, 100 cubic centimeters of gooseberry 
juice contains 1 milligram of boric acid. The berries endowed 
with the principal therapeutic properties are no doubt huckle- 
berries, these properties having been brought to light by 
Winternitz. Blueberries, or huckleberries, have a very favor- 
able action in intestinal affections, chronic catarrh, and diar- 

1 Aron : Loc. cit. 



282 Health Through Rational Diet. 



rhea. They have a mild astringent action, and in this respect 
exert a beneficial action upon the mucous membranes. They 
are also excellent in chronic inflammations of the throat. 
They decrease inflammatory processes and have a certain 
antiseptic action, and the pharmacopeias of some cities provide 
for very useful preparations to be made from these berries. 
The digestibility of these berries is not so very poor, since they 
contain no> irritating seeds, and I have ascertained that the 
eating of more than a pint of berries is not followed by any 
digestive disturbances. Even more easily digested are the 
mulberries which grow wild in great profusion in some regions, 
particularly in Hungary. This useful and very agreeable fruit 
should really be more planted and enjoyed. The mulberry tree 
is also most useful in the silkworm: industry, and should, if 
only for this reason, be cultivated in large numbers. Black- 
berries are very indigestible, even when quite ripe, owing to 
their many large seeds. The best results are to* be obtained, 
from these and other indigestible berries, with their juices, as 
we shall show later on. Bilberries are likewise not very read- 
ily digested, as they contain much acid. The best of these 
berries among the European varieties are those grown in 
Sweden, called "Lingon," for the exploitation of which a stock 
company has been formed in Gottenburg, which exports them 
to the value of several millions of "krone" per year. The 
American variety (cranberry) is much larger, but not so fine 
in taste. The bilberry is especially valuable for diabetics, since 
there is scarcely any other fruit which contains so little sugar. 

4. The Benefit to be Derived from the Daily 
Use of Cherries. 

When we particularly recommend cherries, and even the 
daily use of the same, it is because of several beneficial proper- 
ties peculiar to this fruit. Among all the fruits used by us, 
cherries — with the exception of grapes only — contain the 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 283 

greatest amount of sugar (10 to 12 per cent.). Since one is 
able to eat a considerable number of cherries, especially of 
those with tender skins which are in the markets in May and 
June, without feeling any uncomfortable pressure in the 
stomach, one is not only indulging in a most agreeable fruit, — 
not to say the very best of the spring fruits, — but in a nutri- 
tious article of diet as well. It would not be difficult to eat as 
much as 1 kilo per day, when divided among the several meals; 
400 or more calories are thus obtained. There is noi other 
fruit, with the exception of grapes, of which so* many can be 
tolerated as of luscious spring cherries, which are easily 
digested because they are exceedingly juicy and have a thin 
skin. Later in the season they are more indigestible, par- 
ticularly the tough variety. It would be difficult to find a 
similar quantity of valuble nutrient salts in other fruits ; very 
few contain as much of the alkalinizing salts, potash, and lime, 
and also of iron and phosphoric acid, as do cherries. Corre- 
spondingly large quantities of other edible fruits rich in nutri- 
tive salts would not so easily benefit us and would have an 
injurious effect on the stomach, since they are, like apricots, 
for instance, very indigestible. According to my experience, 
excepting grapes, no fruit "cure" can be so successfully carried 
out as with juicy spring cherries. Without in the least dimin- 
ishing the appetite for the next repast, one can eat during a 
meal %. kilo (^2 pound) or more. For a delicate stomach it 
is better not to swallow the skins, although the aroma and 
certain valuable substances are contained in them. When the 
stomach is delicate these cures may also be taken by using 
cherry juice, which, with the exception of that of the agriot, 
has the best taste of any fruit juice. Cherries, especially those 
which reach the markets during May and June in Holland and 
Denmark, the best cherry countries of the world (these two 
countries and their seafaring populations resemble each other 
in many respects), are not only the most palatable of fruits, but 



284 Health Through Rational Diet. 

they are also a very healthful food. They belong to the class 
of fruits which are useful in gout "cures," as has been shown 
by Weiss in Bunge's laboratory. According to my own obser- 
vations in many persons, I would add that cherries are one of 
the fruits which have the best action upon the bowels. They 
should be eaten just before retiring as well as after the mid- 
day and evening meals. The times are past when it was cus- 
tomary to strictly forbid the use of all fruits at Carlsbad. I 
advise my patients, particularly those suffering from gout, 
constipation, or arteriosclerosis, to eat cherries, and also advo- 
cate the use of grapes, but not shortly before or after the 
drinking of the spring waters. Dried cherries have a greater 
action upon the bowels than even fresh cherries or dried 
prunes. Dried cherries should be much more frequently used, 
especially by vegetarians. They, as is in fact the case with 
all dried fruits, contain more sugar than fresh cherries, and I 
believe them to be more easily digested than dried plums. In 
Denmark, especially, I found the very best quality of fleshy 
dried cherries. Naturally, the nutritive value of such cherries 
is not inconsiderable. Vegetarians, particularly those living 
strictly upon fruits, should eat dried fruits of all kinds as 
often as possible. 

5. Grapes and their Advantages. Hothouse Grapes 

(Frankenthal, Colman, Alicante). 
The observation was made long ago by Niemeyer that 
persons who consume two or three pounds of grapes daily 
grew fat, and Pliny stated that foxes living on the wine hills 
and — according to their habit — stealing the grapes grew fat 
very rapidly. This does not surprise us, when we consider 
that grapes contain a considerable quantity of sugar, 14 to 18 
and even up to 20 per cent. When therefore about 2 pounds 
of grapes are eaten daily, as much as 300 grams of sugar are 
absorbed, and, when in addition meat and other nourishing 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 285 

foods are taken, a person can very easily gain in weight. If, 
however, he wished to live principally or exclusively upon 
grapes, he would be badly off, since they contain but little 
albumin. According to Konig, fresh grapes contain, on the 
average, the following constituents : — 



Water. 
Percent. 


Albuminous 
products. 
Per cent. 


Pectin 
bodies. 
Per cent. 


Sugar. 
Per cent. 


Free acids. 
Percent. 


Seeds. 
Per cent. 


Ash. 
Per cent. 


78.17 


0.59 


1.96 


14.36 


0.79 


3.60 


0.53 



Grape- and fruit- sugar is found in considerable quanti- 
ties in ripe grapes, as in other fruits ; in the unripe fruit there 
is more fruit-sugar. The grapes of the South, as in Spain 
(Andalusia) and Portugal, contain much sugar, and from 
them a very alcoholic wine can be therefore, made. Grapes, 
owing to their high sugar content and the tartaric acid and 
tannin contained in them, their aroma, etc., are especially 
adapted for the manufacture of wine. Other fruits, like apples 
and pears, also contain considerable sugar ; but as they likewise 
contain much malic acid, the wine obtained from them cannot 
be compared with that made of grapes. Considerable amounts 
of nutrient salts are also present in grapes. As shown in the 
analysis previously given, they are rich in the tartrates of 
potassium and calcium;, as well as in the phosphates and sul- 
phates of these metals. 

In consequence of the great sugar content, the tartaric 
acid, and the salts, grapes have a laxative action, and they also 
act favorably upon the diuresis. It is therefore a good habit 
to eat a certain quantity of good ripe grapes daily after the 
midday and evening meal during the grape season, in order 
that they may act upon the bowels. The decided sugar content 
may also have a favorable action upon intestinal putrefaction. 
In order that grapes be healthful, they should be perfectly ripe 
and of unquestionable origin. Those having a fine skin, much 
juice, and small seeds are greatly preferred. The Hungarian 
grapes are of this kind. The Italian grapes often have very 



286 Health Through Rational Diet. 

thick skins, large seeds and very little juice; the Spanish grapes 
also have very thick skins, but in Valencia I ate a red variety 
of a long, oval shape which had a very sweet taste. Generally 
speaking, these southern varieties are not so juicy, but are 
sweeter, — a peculiarity due no doubt to the long-continued 
action and heat of the sun's rays. 

In Austria the Meran (Tyrol), Baden, and Voslau varie- 
ties are the best; in Germany the Rhein region, Baden, 
Wiirtemberg, and Mayence are celebrated for their grapes. 
Before grapes are eaten they should be washed in water in 
order to remove any copper sulphate which may have been 
sprinkled on them. The skins and seeds must not be swallowed, 
as they are not beneficial for the digestion. A few seeds would 
do no harm; they would, on the contrary, have a rather 
favorable massage-like action upon a sluggish intestine. The 
large seeds of some kinds of grapes would, however, be very 
bad for children. The little daughter of a family from Kirn, 
near Kreuznach, who were my patients at Carlsbad, ate, during 
the month of October, some hothouse grapes of which she 
swallowed the seeds; several months later she had colic every 
day and became much run down, until one day after having 
taken a very energetic purgative these seeds were expelled. 
During all these months the child had positively not eaten any 
grapes. Grape-lovers can obtain them in winter, in the hot- 
house varieties which are exported in large quantities from 
Belgium. Those most industrious and commercial people — 
the Belgians — have since several centuries, in Oulart, near 
Brussels, as also in Drooge Bosch and other places, an enor- 
mous number of greenhouses extending over kilometers and 
kilometers of ground, and these Belgian vines produce most 
excellent grapes. The best varieties are, first, the Franken- 
thaler, which have a very fine skin and not very large seeds 
and have a delicious taste. They contain a great deal of juice. 
Then come the Colman grapes ; for my taste I prefer the latter 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 287 

because they are more fleshy and have a very pleasant taste ; the 
skin is also quite thin. The black, or Alicante, grapes, which 
have a thick skin, are probably the least fine; they also have 
considerable juice, but it is not sweet, — in fact, quite sour. 
The Colman variety is very meaty, but has less juice. The 
Frankenthaler are the most expensive and the Alicante the 
cheapest. It is really very inexpensive to eat grapes in 
Belgium at times when in other countries they are not to be 
had, — in November and December. The medium quality cost 
from 80 centimes to 1 franc (18 to 20 cents) and the best 
quality from 1.50 to 2 francs (30 to 40 cents) per pound. 
The grapes of the Belgian vines are of a much finer quality 
and aroma when they have been transplanted into Hungarian 
soil, as I have seen in the results obtained by the Belgian- 
Hungarian colony at Vacz, near Budapest. 

6. Concerning the Advantages of the Grape Cure. 

Cajus Plinius already called attention to the value of 
grapes in many conditions of disease. The fact that they really 
do have such an action is shown by the statements made in the 
previous chapter. Since grapes have a stimulating effect upon 
the intestinal walls, they may induce a daily bowel movement 
in chronic intestinal constipation and in chronic intestinal 
catarrh with constipation; in cases of intestinal catarrh 
with diarrhea and abnormal putrefaction their antiseptic 
action may come into play. Owing to the high content of 
sugar, grapes cause acid fermentation — in the same way as 
do large amounts of carbohydrates — by means of which a 
decided disinfection of the intestine is accomplished through 
the agency of the lactic acid produced. Injurious decomposi- 
tion products are thus destroyed. Owing to this property, as 
well as through the diminished viscidity of the blood induced, 
especially in a chiefly vegetarian diet, the grape cure may also 



288 Health Through Rational Diet. 



be very useful in a great many cases of arteriosclerosis. A 
decided diminution of very high blood-pressure was observed 
in such cures. Favorable results have also been reported, prin- 
cipally by French authors, in many cases of chronic kidney 
diseases. In gout, obesity, and emphysema, and also in many 
skin affections accompanying decomposition processes in the 
intestines, very favorable results were obtained. In diseases 
of the liver and in gallstones I advise a grape cure in the 
autumn, following the Carlsbad cure. The quantity to be 
taken daily is from I to 2 kilos, beginning with a small quan- 
tity and gradually increasing. The grapes are to be taken in 
the morning on an empty stomach, then one hour before both 
the midday and evening meals. That walking in the open air, 
which can be so agreeably accomplished in lovely Meran, with 
its wonderful climate, materially assists the cure can be readily 
understood; walking also plays an important role in other 
cures. According to my own experience, in spending weeks at 
a time in Meran, I know that large quantities of grapes, from 
I to 2 kilos, also have a very beneficial action upon a healthy 
person, especially when the juicy and tender-skinned variety 
to be had in Meran is taken. It is important, however, that 
during this cure certain dietetic restrictions be observed ; foods 
having an irritating action upon the intestine must not be taken, 
the use of tobacco and alcohol must be restricted, and beer 
should be as much as possible avoided. The mouth should 
always be washed after eating large quantities of grapes; 
otherwise inflammation of the mucous membrane may set in, 
and the teeth may be injured. The length of the cure is from 
four to six weeks. The most popular resorts for the grape 
cures are Meran and Montreux and several other places on the 
Lake of Geneva, both on the Swiss and the Savoy shores of 
the lake. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 289 

7. The Advantages of Fruit Juices, Marmalades, and Jellies. 

By simple prohibition it is not possible to successfully 
combat alcoholism. One must provide for the people who 
suffer from thirst in the summer, and who do not like to drink 
water — unfortunately, there are many such — a refreshing 
drink which will quench their thirsts. For this there is prob- 
ably nothing more suitable and to the purpose than a drink of 
fruit juice. This would also have the advantage that, even 
though taken in large quantities, it would not be injurious, 
which can certainly not be said of alcoholic drinks. The fruit 
juices have a certain curative action in the body because of the 
organic acids contained in them, which quench the thirst more 
satisfactorily than almost any other substance, and because of 
their nutritive salt content. These, like the ethereal essences 
which so greatly affect the flavor and aroma of the fruit, are 
largely contained in the skins, w T hich are usually thrown away ; 
the skins are especially rich in iron and soda. The best kinds 
of fruit juices, those of the agriot and cherry, and of apples 
and huckleberries, have an indescribable aroma. According to 
J. Konig, 1 the amount of sugar, acids, and of important salts 
contained in certain fruit juices are as follows : — 

In 100 cubic centimeters are contained 



Fruit juices. 


u 

ft 

bo 
3 
w 

tl 
O 


be 

h 

a . 


09 


Tannins pre- 
cipitated by- 
alkalies. 

Gr. 


03 u 


To 
a 
t 

0.O 




•<3 . 
co-ii 
2 • 

5 B In 


Apple juice 


9.43 


3.11 


0.321 

0.753 
1.040 
1.846 
1.130 
1.650 
2.920 
2.200 
0.684 


0.115 

0.088 
Pectin 0.560 
" 0.960 

0.061 
Pectin 0.754 

0.224 
Pectin 0.760 


0.44 

0.45 
0.64 
0.50 
0.29 
0.27 
0.59 
0.30 
0.47 


0.209 0.019 






0.097 
0.097 
0.086 

0.140 
0.076 




Cherry " 


12.81 


0.021 


Strawberry juice .... 

Raspberry " 

Huckleberry " 

Gooseberry " 

Currant " 

Bilberry " .... 
Peach " .... 


5. 
5. 
6. 
6. 
8. 
8. 
3. 


33 
33 

27 
12 
35 
57 
85 


0.026 
0.032 

0.036 
0.046 



Konig 



'Chemie der Nahrungsmittel," ii, p. 965. 

19 



290 Health Through Rational Diet. 



The above table shows that certain fruit juices, as, for 
example, that of the cherry, contain quite considerable quanti- 
ties of nutritive substances. "In fevers these fruit juices are 
very beneficial, as the nourishment to be obtained from them is 
perhaps the only one that can be tolerated. Their high content 
of acids and salts makes them perhaps even more advantageous 
than the fruits themselves. They have a thinning effect upon 
the blood, thus diminishing its viscidity, and are consequently 
an excellent drink for arteriosclerotics, and all the more so 
since alcohol is here absolutely contraindicated. I have found 
that these fruit juices have a stimulating action upon the 
bowels when taken in considerable quantities. The uric acid 
eliminating and alkalinizing properties of fruit juices are even 
greater than in the fruit ; so their use is indicated in gout. I 
have obtained good results with huckleberry juice in chronic 
intestinal catarrh with frequent diarrhea. 

Diuresis is likewise favorably affected. Of well-made 
fruit juices made exclusively from fresh fruits, large quanti- 
ties are well tolerated by persons in good health; I am fond 
of taking in summer the "Ceres" fruit juices made in a factory 
in Bohemia, not far from Carlsbad. I found the apple, cherry, 
and huckleberry juices the best, and sometimes took a pint or 
even more daily. In cases of hyperacidity of the stomach I 
would forbid the use of some of them, especially those made 
from apples and bilberries; in such cases fruits and fruit juices 
are frequently not well tolerated. In constipation, etc., I ob- 
tained the best results by the use of grape, cherry, and agriot 
juices. 

For diabetics those made of fruits poor in sugar, such 
as the bilberry and huckleberry, without the addition of any 
sugar, give good results, especially since, on account of the 
dryness of the mouth, such patients are constantly craving 
something to drink. It is of course necessary that these fruit 
juices be made under conditions of especial cleanliness. They 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 291 

are made by removing the stems and seeds, then mashing and 
squeezing out the fruit. Some cane-sugar is then added, and 
the product is sterilized and put into sterilized bottles, which 
are hermetically sealed. When the bottles are opened the con- 
tents will keep only one or two days, after which fermentation 
sets in. This proves that no antiseptic substances for the pre- 
vention of fermentation are contained in the syrups. There is 
probably nothing else in which falsification is so easily prac- 
ticable as in the manufacture of fruit juices and marmalades. 
The sugar is often replaced by saccharin, and boric and salicylic 
acids, etc., are added as preservative agents. These are in- 
jurious for the kidneys, as these drinks of themselves have a 
diuretic action, and such substances cause irritation of the 
kidneys. Fruit syrups made in this way are more harmful 
than beneficial. 

When the fruits are cooked, after the stems, seeds, and 
skins have been removed, marmalades are made. We use 
principally that made from plums ("powidl"). It is much the 
best to always make these marmalades at home, as those which 
are bought often contain more sugar than fruit. 

8. Chestnuts and Fat-containing Fruits, with Remarks 
Concerning Vegetable Fats. 

We are now concerned with the most complete vegetable 
foods, i.e., most complete as regards their nutritious compo- 
nents, since these fruits contain considerable quantities of each 
of the three main groups of nutritive substances, — albumin, 
carbohydrates, and fats. The albumin, which is generally but 
poorly represented in fruits, is quite plentiful in these; the 
shelled groundnut contains as much as 30 per cent., but here 
again it is assimilated only with difficulty. Vegetarians living 
only upon fruits and nuts must have an ironclad stomach and 
intestine, for through habit they seem to tolerate such foods 



292 Health Through Rational Diet. 

far better than other people. They must also be blessed with 
very good teeth, foods of this kind requiring much mastica- 
tion. But however well masticated they may be — even into a 
fine pulp — they are often not well borne and assimilated. Of 
the high carbohydrate content of the chestnut, for instance, 
which closely approaches that of the cereals, a large portion is 
lost in the intestine. These fruits contain the largest amount 
of fat of any of the vegetable products. The digestibility of 
these fats is exceeded by those of animal origin ; although it is 
generally stated that vegetable fats are as easily digested as the 
animal fats, yet I have always found that after having ingested 
vegetable fats, even of the very best sorts, acid eructations are 
apt to be induced. It should be mentioned that the majority 
of vegetable fats contain larger amounts of free fatty acids 
than those of animal origin. The best fat for cooking is 
butter, and no vegetable fat can ever approach or equal it in 
regard to digestibility. The cocoanut, among the fat-furnish- 
ing fruits, contains a large amount of free fatty acids — from 
the kernel or "copra" of this nut oil is extracted. According 
to Salkowski, 1 linseed oil contains 3.45 per cent, of free fatty 
acid, and cottonseed oil only 0.19 per cent. — probably the 
least amount present in any of this class of products. The 
olive oil used for salads, etc., and frequently employed for 
cooking in the South, contains 1.17 per cent, of free fatty acid. 
Following is, according to J. Konig, the average chemi- 
cal composition of several fat-containing fruits, such as 
chestnuts :— 



l Cited after Konig, ii, p. 109. 



f 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 293 



English walnuts 

Hazelnuts 

Sweet almonds . 

Chestnuts 

Groundnuts 
Pistachio nuts 1 . 

Cocoanut 

11 milk.. 



. a 


.2 v 

P-.PL, 


a 
o 


a 

a 
a 

-a . 

I! 

C« CD 


(U-w 

w a 

O 0) 

V CD 


7.11 
7.11 
6.02 
7.34 
6.95 
7.40 
5.81 
91.17 


15.57 
17.41 
23.49 
10.76 
27.65 
21.70 
8.88 
0.38 


57.43 
62.60 
53.02 

2.90 
45.80 
51.10 
67.00 

0.11 


13.08 
7.22 
7.84 
73.04 
16.75 
14.00 
12.44 
traces. 


4.59 
3.17 
6.51 
2.99 
2.11 
2.50 

4.42 



^5 l- 

c/) J} 



3.12 
2.49 
2.12 
2.97 
2.64 

1.80 
raw sugar. 



In the dry substance are contained :- 





Protein. 
Per cent. 


Fat. 
Per cent. 


English walnuts 


16.99 
18.73 
24.99 
11.61 
29.31 
9.73 


61.87 


Hazelnuts 


67.39 


Almonds 


56.42 


Chestnuts 




Groundnuts 


49.22 


Cocoanuts 


71.13 







The nutrient salts present in chestnuts comprise, according" 
to E. Wolff:— 

Iron Phosphoric Silicic 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia, oxide. acid. acid. Chlorine. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

' 56.69 7.12 3.87 7.41 0.14 18.5 1.54 0.52 



We may gather, from the above table, how very nutritious 
these seed fruits are; their consistency is unfortunately such, 
however, that they are hard to digest. Even when chestnuts 
— which contain so much carbohydrate material (up to> J?> P er 
cent.) — are ground to a fine powder, as it is done in France 
and Corsica, they are not capable of ready assimilation. I have 
frequently noticed in the feces a considerable amount of the 
chestnuts which had been previously ingested, even when well 
masticated or taken in the form of a puree. 



1 From a table by Hutchison, he. cit., p. 260. 



294 Health Through Rational Diet. 

If, therefore, in the south of France and in Corsica a cer- 
tain portion of the population live during the winter chiefly 
upon foods made from chestnut flour and from the nuts them- 
selves, and remain quite healthy and robust, it must be sup- 
posed that the digestion and assimilation of this variety of food 
are improved by constant use. For us, however, chestnuts, 
even when taken in the most advantageous way — in the puree 
form, so frequently used as an accompaniment to fine game 
and venison — constitute a very indigestible food. Whoever 
wishes to indulge in roasted chestnuts must have a good stom- 
ach. Even candied chestnuts (marrons glaces) are only suit- 
able for the best of digestions. There is probably no other 
country in which there are so many chestnut trees as in 
Corsica; the amount of wealth represented in these trees for 
that comparatively poor island is shown by the fact that only 
a few years ago chestnuts aggregating in value 5 millions of 
francs were exported. Unfortunately, many of these very 
useful trees are now being sacrificed; factories have been 
erected for obtaining the tannin from them. Another wound 
inflicted upon agriculture by the manufacturing industries ! 

After the chestnuts, walnuts are most used with us, — 
hazelnuts not so much. Nuts constitute a very palatable food, 
and true vegetarians, particularly those living solely upon 
fruit, could not well get along without them. They furnish a 
considerable quantity of albumin, and also much fat. Owing 
to the quantity of fat, and unfortunately also of cellulose, they 
are very indigestible, even when finely chopped. They are 
therefore best adapted for use in other foods, particularly cakes 
and pastry. In Austria a much-liked dish, potato noodles with 
chopped nuts, is very appetizing. Fresh nuts are rather more 
easily digested than old, dried ones. The fatty varieties are 
also apt to become rancid when old, and are consequently not 
adapted for sensitive stomachs. Certain food products are 
made from finely ground nuts — nuttose, for instance — with 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 295 

the aid of which the vegetarian kitchen is able to prepare very 
palatable and nourishing dishes. A very excellent nut which I 
first ate in a vegetarian restaurant in London is the Sapucian 
nut, a Brazilian variety. I consider it more digestible than 
nuts in general. I may also mention that nuts are rich in 
phosphorus, the ash containing nearly 44 per cent, of it. The 
nutrient salt content of nuts is given by Konig as follows : — 



Potash. 
Per cent. 


Soda. 
Per cent. 


Lime. 
Per cent. 


Magnesia. 
Per cent. 


Iron oxide. 
Per cent. 


Phosphoric 

acid. 

Per cent. 


31.11 


2.34 


8.80 


13.07 


1.32 


43.70 



Hazelnuts are also rich in phosphorus, for, according to 
Balland, they contain in the fresh substance 0.35 per cent, phos- 
phorus and 0.81 per cent, phosphoric acid. Hazelnuts are pos- 
sibly even more indigestible than walnuts. Groundnuts (pea- 
nuts) from the Congo, which I often ate, seemed to be rather 
more easily digested. They form a sort of middle substance 
between leguminous vegetables and hazelnuts; they grow in 
pods resembling those of the pea, which grow very near the 
ground. The nut itself looks somewhat like our hazelnut. I 
found the taste more agreeable than the latter, and could toler- 
ate more of them. According to Balland's analysis, ground- 
nuts are also quite rich in phosphorus. They contain in the 
fresh substance 0.44 per cent., with 1.02 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid. Their chemical composition is as follows, according to 
Balland :— 





5 


a c 
0) 

'- 

u 0> 

CUP* 


a 


_ 

"ii ** 

a 


Carbohy- 
drate. 
Per cent. 


m a 

O <o 

•30 

— i-< 


a 

8 


Minimum 


4.80 
8.00 


20.19 140.75! 8.37 
30.24 50.50 21.11 


1.85 
5.15 


1.20 


Maximum 


4.20 













Other similar nuts are likewise rich in phosphorus, e.g., 
the Indian kemiri nut. Jebbink found in them 1.79 per cent. 



296 Health Through Rational Diet. 

of phosphoric acid. Among the oily varieties of nuts, I con- 
sider the pistachio as the most digestible, and one can eat quite 
a number of them. 

Almonds belong to the indigestible varieties; the oil ob- 
tained from them is valuable, as is also that of the cocoanut, 
which contains, according to Salkowski, 3 per cent, free fatty 
acid. The cocoanut has a property which is much appreciated 
— it is said to be very beneficial in cases where there are in- 
testinal worms. Many kinds of nuts which contain much fat 
have a stimulating action upon the bowel movements, as do 
fats in general when taken in considerable quantities. Mithri- 
dates and Pliny ascribed to nuts the property of immunizing 
against poisons. It might also be mentioned in this connection 
that larger quantities of alcohol can be tolerated when many 
nuts are eaten, possibly because its absorption is rendered more 
difficult. This might perhaps also explain the opinions of the 
ancient authors above mentioned. 

9. Tropical Fruits and their Advantages. 

Galenus stated that the guardians of vineyards all grew 
fat because they ate so many figs and grapes. This will be 
readily understood when we consider how nourishing these 
fruits are ; the property which especially characterizes figs and 
tropical fruits in general is the great amount of sugar they 
contain, which in the dried fruits is sometimes simply enor- 
mous ; so that they would amply suffice for the entire amount 
of carbohydrate required per day. Furthermore there is also 
much less acid in dried fruits ; so their sweetness is not in any 
way diminished by the latter, as is the case in the other fruits. 
The fig is one of the southern fruits most used by us; in the 
fresh state it is very juicy and has a very pleasant taste. The 
quantity of little seeds contained in figs does less harm in the 
digestion than is the case with berries. Figs have a stimulat- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 297 

ing effect upon the bowels both in the fresh and the dried state, 
as these minute seeds exert a slight mechanical irritation. 
Fresh figs are easily digested, but not the dried ones, which 
contain much cellulose — 7.82 per cent., according to Balland. 
He gives their composition as follows: — 











6 . 














.Q U) 








+1 


j 


^j 


«£- 


«£-£ 


^j 




a ° 


a 


a 


S « a 


w a 


a 




" 4) 






" I- V 




a 




4) O 


V 


a* 


n: 


■30 

H (-1 


. 

J3 u 




u 0) 




t!J3 a) 


<u <u 


0] 0) 




PhOh 


fa a. 


ccfa 


O fa 


ua. 


<&H 


Fresh figs 


0.79 


32 


48.30 


3.85 


1.23 


0.21 


Dried figs 


2.36 


2.10 


48.40 


5.27 


7.82 


3.15 







We see by the above that dried figs are a most nourishing 
food. In studying the Koran, I found allusion to this fact — 
in the "Surat al Tin." According to the commentaries of 
Sale and Halaleddin, the fig is a very healthful and easily 
digested food, which is much prized by the Orientals as a 
remedy in kidney and bladder troubles, gallstones, hemor- 
rhoids, and gout. 1 Among the dried figs those imported from 
Smyrna are most easily digested, and they also have the best 
taste. Dates are even sweeter, but they are more difficult to 
digest. They are frequently as sweet as honey; according to 
my experience, I consider the fresh ones which come from 
Tunis the easiest to digest. When they are dried they are very 
hard and must be especially well masticated. According to 
Balland, the Algerian dates have the following constituents : — 



Protein. 
Per cent. 


Fat. 
Per cent. 


Sugar. 
Per cent. 


Other 

carbohydrates. 

Per cent. 


Cellulose. 
Per cent. 


Salts; 
Per cent 


1.16 


0.06 


51.30 


15.80 


5.06 


1.32 



Dates contain almost twice as much phosphoric acid as do 
figs. In the fresh substance they contain 0.12 per cent, of 



1 "The Quuran, Commentaries on the Quuran, 
Wherry, London, 1896, p. 257. 



by the Rev. E. 



298 Health Through Rational Diet. 

phosphorus and 0.29 per cent, of phosphoric acid, while figs 
have 0.07 per cent, phosphorus and 0.17 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid. I find that when dates are not old they are not partic- 
ularly difficult to digest, and they should be more used. 

Dried grapes, which come to us as raisins from Greece 
or Smyrna, contain a very large amount of sugar; they are 
principally used in cooking as additions to other foods, such as 
rice, pastry, etc. Even when in the dried state they are, ac- 
cording to my experience, a useful article of diet; I have fre- 
quently eaten, after a vegetarian meal, as much as % kilo, 
naturally without the seeds. When the seeds are removed — in 
Greece and in the Orient — the process of removal does not 
seem to be carried on with any great degree of cleanliness; it 
is consequently advisable to clean the raisins well before using 
them. The Malaga grapes, which also come to us in the dried 
state, are somewhat more difficult to digest, and they always 
contain the seeds. 

According to Balland, raisins contain 0.41 per cent, of pro- 
tein, 0.56 per cent, fat, and the very large amount of 74.60 per 
cent, of sugar, together with 2 per cent, of other carbohydrates 
and less than 2 per cent, of cellulose. Raisins are probably the 
most useful of the varieties mentioned above, since they contain 
much more sugar, and are not indigestible for a healthy stom- 
ach; when cooked they can also be digested by delicate 
stomachs. They may consequently be recommended in a 
strictly vegetarian diet, and each meal, especially of the fruit- 
and nut- eating vegetarians, should end with a generous supply 
of raisins. In J4 kilo about 750 calories are furnished; and 
when in addition dried bananas, English walnuts, and pistachio 
nuts are used, a very nourishing meal will have been taken. 
Nuts containing quite appreciable quantities of albumin, such 
as groundnuts and almonds, are valuable adjuncts to the daily 
ration of a fruit-eating vegetarian. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 299 



10. The Special Advantages of Bananas. 

There is probably no more nourishing fruit, or one whose 
cultivation would be more valuable for mankind, than the 
banana; it has been stated that the fortunate individuals who 
have planted them in San Salvador, Brazil, and Java obtain 
returns 43 times greater from them than from potatoes. This 
wonderful plant has a remarkable resisting power against in- 
jury of any kind, and is seldom affected in any way. In addi- 
tion to these advantages bananas possess others even more 
interesting for us — their nourishing qualities and easy diges- 
tion. In the fresh state the banana contains from 16 to 22 per 
cent, of carbohydrates, thus even more than the potato 1 ; when 
dried in the sun they contain, according to Balland (referring 
to Tahiti bananas), about 70 per cent, of sugar and some varie- 
ties from Surinam even more. As far as their digestibility is 
concerned, I have personally observed that when eating a per- 
fectly ripe banana it will almost melt in the mouth, when simply 
turned around several times, without any actual mastication, 
and only the few stringy fibers in the middle of the fruit will 
remain. In this way 2 or 3 large bananas may be eaten with- 
out there being any feeling of discomfort in the stomach. I 
once saw a young American lady from the West who could eat 
26 bananas one after the other without experiencing any dis- 
comfort. Of course, bananas are only thus digestible when 
quite ripe; those still somewhat green are less so, especially 
when they feel hard on the outside, although when very well 
masticated they are easily dissolved. When they are quite 
yellow and already have a few black spots on the outside they 
can be best digested; they are then softer and also sweeter. 
The sweetest and best-tasting bananas come from the Canary 
Islands ; next come the red bananas of the West African coast, 
and then those from Surinam and the West Indies, and the 
Congo and Brazilian varieties. In Java there are also some 



300 



Health Through Rational Diet. 



sweet "pisangs," as the bananas are there called, but they are 
not much exported into Holland. The cold-storage rooms 
which are to be placed in the vessels of the Nederland Steamr 
ship Company may perhaps bring about a great change in this 
respect. Bananas are not only nutritious owing to their car- 
bohydrate content, but also because of the albumin they con- 
tain ; in the fresh fruit there is very little, but when dried there 
is more. In the tables submitted below, the one by Schall and 
Heisler gives the nutrient contents of the fresh bananas, while 
Balland gives those of the dried fruit : — 





.a 

a ° 


c 
a 

-•-» u 

CO 0) 
fcPL( 


2 

■5 © 

u u 




« a 

O <o 

3° 
S J- 
0) dj 

Oft 


o 
o 

a 

fc c3 ° 
J2 t u 

o a* 


Fresh bananas 


1.00 
4.57 


1.10 
0.45 


18.20 
64.48 


74.90 
20.10 


2!80 


79.00 


Dried bananas 









According to Konig, the fresh and dried bananas contain 

* 

the following constituents : — 









o 












d 


u 






a ° 


a 


|8 


3 

a*: 

03 O 


ca a 




£ 0i 


o 


-i <D 


o © 




o o 


o 


£ 


<D 


I« 




O *- 




^ *- 


> t - 






t- a> 


CS 0) 






d) <U 




fcfc 


fed, 


OPU 


OGh 


Fresh bananas 


1.40 
5.25 


0.47 
2.25 


21.57 
52.40 


29.12 


0.60 


Dried bananas 


2.07 







The sugar content of fresh fruit is greater when it is fully 
ripe. The nutritive value of this fruit is shown in a table by 
Schall and Heisler, which gives the following quantities of 
nutrient substances in a banana weighing with the skin ioo 
grams and jo grams without: Albumin, 0.68 gram; fat, o.i 
gram; carbohydrates, 12.4 grams, making, in all, 55 calories. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 301 

In 6 bananas, a number which I frequently ate after a meal, 
330 calories are furnished. 

The dried banana is especially nutritious, representing 
about 3000 calories per kilo. I myself found — as I frequently 
ate those sent from Herrenhut, in Saxony, and also the dried 
Surinam variety so popular in Holland — that they were so 
sweet as to make my teeth fairly ache. I could eat five or six 
of these dried ones without experiencing any difficulty. After 
they have been left soaking in water for about half an hour 
they are still very sweet; so the sugar content seems to be 
natural in the fruit. Undoubtedly these dried bananas are a 
very nutritious food, which is also easily digested when not 
too much is taken at one time. The fresh banana could really 
fill about the same place in a purely vegetable diet as does the 
potato in a mixed diet, and all the more so since the carbohy- 
drate content is about the same. Bananas, however, have the 
great advantage that their use does not involve an increase of 
salt in the body. To be sure, when one wishes to have the 
sweetest kinds at the lowest price, it will be necessary to travel 
to London. There one may buy two very large, sweet ones for 
4 cents or even less ; they are, however, diminishing in price in 
this country (Austria), as the demand for them is growing 
greater. 

Bananas may be prepared in various ways; they can be 
fried and baked, and those not yet quite ripe are in this way 
rendered more digestible. Cut in slices they may be baked in 
pastry and also be used in omelets. Bananas are likewise very 
useful in the form of flour ; this is also easily digested, although 
it is made from the unripe fruit. This flour contains as much 
as 80 per cent, of carbohydrate. When a very ripe banana is 
laid upon a hot stove in the skin it develops a wonderful aroma, 
and the fruit becomes partially dissolved. Such a remarkably 
useful fruit is surely deserving of greater attention in Europe. 
It is often used for medicinal purposes ; in the French colonies 



302 Health Through Rational Diet. 

in Cochin China it is prepared in the form of a puree, to be used 
in cases of severe and prolonged diarrhea. It has the same 
effect on the intestine as any very sweet vegetable food, namely, 
it reduces decomposition through a lactic acid fermentation. 
This action was observed by Collin in 20 cases, in which, in- 
stead of giving milk, which cannot readily be obtained in that 
country, he used a banana diet. It is thus endowed with a 
remedial action which is not only beneficial in intestinal affec- 
tions, but in a healthy person as well. 

In much the same way as a rice diet and the use of much 
sugar in general, banana has an antiseptic action upon the 
decomposition products in the intestine, and may also prevent 
their development. But simply on account of its digestibility 
and great nutritive value the banana is a very healthful food. 
It contains also an appreciable quantity of phosphorus — 0.11 
per cent, in the fresh substance, with 0.27 per cent, of phos- 
phoric acid. 

II. Oranges, Lemons, and Grapefruit. 

As a refreshing fruit which is at our disposal throughout 
the greater part of the year, none is more useful than the 
orange. Both the fruit and the skin can be made use of. The 
pulp is much developed in some varieties, especially in Messina 
and Jaffa oranges, but particularly so in the California navel 
oranges, which are rarely seen in this country (Austria) ; they 
(have a very sweet, rich pulp, but the Sicilian and Palestine 
oranges are more juicy. I found the Florida oranges very 
sweet, but the pulp is not so fully developed as in the Cali- 
fornia varieties. During my stay in these warm climates and 
in Mexico, I was in the habit of taking every morning — on an 
empty stomach — several of the wonderfully fine oranges to be 
had there ; they agreed with me very well. When one should 
eat oranges can be best learned from the Brazilian proverb: 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 303 

A Naranja e oura na ma-nhad, no meiodia prata e na noite 
rnata. (The orange is golden at breakfast, silver at dinner, 
and deadly at night.) It is a general custom in America to eat 
I or 2 oranges at the beginning of breakfast ; the grapefruit is 
even more used. This is a glorious fruit, two or three times as 
large as the orange, and when not fully ripe is rather acid and 
bitter, but when ripe it is quite sweet, with an agreeable, 
slightly bitter flavor. This fruit may be bought in Vienna and 
in the seaport cities in Germany, e.g., Hamburg, but can also 
be found in Berlin and other large cities. It is especially 
characterized by a great abundance of juice. It is best eaten 
when halved — in the skin — the central portion containing the 
seeds is then cut out and the juice flows into the cavity thus 
formed. A circular cut separates the pulp from the skin, and a 
series of cuts are then made toward the periphery, which 
loosens it from the dividing skin. The juice is eaten with a 
spoon. This is certainly a very delicious and healthful food, 
especially in hot climates or on a summer morning before 
breakfast. It has a very pleasant effect upon a dry throat, and 
is said to be efficacious in fever in hot climates. Owing to its 
content of citric acid salts and of acids, it has a beneficial action 
upon the bowels, especially when eaten in the morning upon 
an empty stomach. It has the same general effect upon the 
health and certain disease conditions as the acid and nutrient 
salt-containing fruits, just as has the orange. The juice of 
the orange contains, according to Konig, 3.9 per cent, of invert- 
sugar, 1.93 per cent, of free citric and malic acid, together 
with 1.39 per cent, of potassium citrate and 0.25 per cent, of 
calcium citrate. 

In regard to medicinal properties the lemon surpasses the 
two fruits above mentioned. When used as lemonade made 
with water containing carbonic acid gas, it is very refreshing 
and may be efficacious in gastric disturbances. The juice is 
beneficial for the prevention and cure of tonsillitis. It is also 



304 Health Through Rational Diet. 

much used in gout; for this purpose several lemons should be 
taken daily. In several instances which have come under my 
notice, lemon juice seemed to have a favorable effect in ton- 
sillitis. Oranges and grapefruit are especially useful in dia- 
betes because of the very small quantity of sugar which they 
contain. I usually allow my diabetic patients to eat one or 
two oranges every day. 

According to Darwin and Buffon, monkeys are in the 
habit of eating lemons when not feeling quite well. Darwin 
observed several monkeys which had been made drunk on alco- 
hol the previous day. Of all the foods placed before them they 
ate only the lemons. 

12. Concerning Certain Varieties of Fruits Little Used except 
in their Native Countries {Pineapple, Kaki, Chinese 
Lichees, Mangoes, and Guavas). 

The pineapple is probably not exceeded by any other fruit 
in regard to perfume and aromatic fragrance. The juice fairly 
pours out of the fruit even when it is not quite ripe, but in that 
case it is rather acrid in taste. In this condition it is not so 
easily digested as when quite ripe; the core is very tough and 
only the portion between it and the skin should be eaten. 
Balland states that fresh pineapples contain 12 per cent, of 
sugar and about 87 per cent, of water; the canned fruit con- 
tains 18.40 per cent, of sugar, with 4 per cent, of other carbo- 
hydrates, and only 0.57 per cent, of raw fiber. Pineapples are 
a very refreshing fruit : scarcely exceeded by any other in that 
respect. Unfortunately they are expensive in this country 
(Austria), although in Berlin at the large fruit dealers' one can 
get some at 80 pfennigs (20 cents) a pound, and 1 mark (25 
cents) for a better grade of fruit. I found them cheapest in 
Florida, where I could buy a whole one for 10 cents; while 
there I ate a medium-sized pineapple every day. In this 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 305 

country (Austria) pineapples are grown in greenhouses, but 
they do not have the sweet taste nor the aroma of the native 
fruit. I consider the pineapple the most effective fruit in con- 
stipation. 

Still more rare with us is the kaki, a fruit indigenous in 
Japan, and which is cultivated in southern Tyrol, Italy, and 
the south of France. When thoroughly ripe it is full of juice, 
which fairly pours out of it. It is a very easily digested fruit, 
because the pulp is very soft, almost of the consistency of a 
puree. I was able to eat 5 or 6 large ones without any incon- 
venience. It contains a certain quantity of tannic acid, but the 
taste is in no way affected by it; it also acts well upon the 
bowels, notwithstanding the acid content. According to 
Konig, 1 it contains 66 per cent, water, 0.83 per cent, protein, 
O.70 per cent, fat, 14.57 per cent, sugar, and 11. 14 per cent, of 
other carbohydrates, together with 1.70 per cent, of cellulose 
and 80 per cent, of ash. It is consequently very rich in carbo- 
hydrates. 

The lichee, a fruit which comes from China, is very rarely 
seen in this country (Austria). It has a very thin, brownish 
skin, which is easily broken; the pulp of the fruit is brownish 
red and has a very pleasant taste, somewhat like that of dried 
figs, very sweet, and with a slightly peppery after-taste. To 
be well digested it must be thoroughly masticated, but even 
then fibrous portions will remain in the mouth, which should 
not be swallowed. Another variety of exotic fruit, much more 
digestible, is the mango, which is a yellow or brownish, round 
or somewhat egg-shaped fruit, with an abundance of juice and 
a very pleasant taste. It comes from Brazil, Java, and Africa. 
A very pleasant and healthful fruit is the guava, which grows 
in South America and Java. When stewed or preserved it is 
very readily digested, and it also assists the action of the 
bowels, possibly on account of the cane-sugar contained in it. 

1 Konig : "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel," 
Berlin, i, p. 832. 



306 Health Through Rational Diet. 



13. Practical Hints Concerning Fruit and the Advantages of 

a Fruit Diet. 

It is of prime importance that fruit be allowed to get as 
ripe as possible, so that much sugar will be formed in it. In 
no case should unripe fruit be eaten, because it contains more 
acids and cellulose than the ripe fruit and has a prejudicial 
effect upon the digestive processes. When fruit is plucked 
before it is ripe, it may subsequently ripen when kept in 
storage, but its taste will always remain inferior and it will be 
more difficult to digest. In gathering fruit it must be handled 
carefully, for when the skin is damaged a path is opened for 
the penetration of many minute living organisms and the con- 
sequent occurrence of decomposition. Fruit of this kind should 
not be eaten, and in any case fruit should always, if at all 
possible, be washed or cleaned, so that the bacteria which are 
often present in large numbers on fruit that has been standing 
in the streets, or in the dust and dirt elsewhere, may not be 
swallowed along with the fruit when it is eaten. Sartori found 
harmful bacteria upon fruit which had previously been twice 
washed. Owing to the quantity of acid contained in some 
fruits it would be well to wash out the mouth after having 
eaten much of them ; some alkaline mouthwash is best used for 
this purpose, having also a protective action for the teeth. 
When one is taking acid fruits, foods containing much starch, 
such as cakes, floury foods, bananas, etc., should not be eaten 
at the same time, since acids prevent the sweetening action of 
the saliva upon the starches, and have an unfavorable influence 
upon their digestion. Bananas belong rather with the dried 
fruits, such as figs, raisins, etc., than with the berries. The 
seeds of fruits should never be swallowed. While the tiny 
seeds of strawberries or figs can hardly be considered injurious, 
it is quite different with cherry pits or plum stones. Even they 
might perhaps not bring on appendicitis, but occasionally large 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 307 

numbers of cherry stones have caused death. I know of the 
case of a little girl whose young life was cut short in this way. 
The entire intestine was found choked up with masses of 
cherry stones. 

A plum stone may also sometimes cause great injury. It 
gives rise to accumulations of calcareous matter around the 
stone, forming concretions of great hardness which are 
found at operation and when cut open disclose the fruit stone 
in the middle. During life these stones give rise to intestinal 
colic occurring at intervals and causing very severe pain. 
Such obstructions may remain for a long time, even many 
years, in certain localities in the intestines — in a sinus or 
pouch — without being expelled. The use of fruit in the raw 
state is suitable only for healthy stomachs and intestines ; other- 
wise fruit should first be cooked. With a healthy stomach it 
is better to eat fruit with the skin, as in this way more salts 
and ethereal principles are absorbed. 

It is very healthful to eat fruit, and in the winter, when 
it is difficult to obtain any other fresh fruits, apples and oranges 
will always do good service. Many fruits, such as pineapples, 
bananas, and peaches, and other fruits that grow in climates 
like ours, come from countries such as Australia, the Cape 
Colony, or South America, where there is summer weather 
while we are enduring the rigors of winter. When using fruits 
we may always expect a better action of the bowels, for most 
fruits produce this effect, either through the cellulose contained 
in them or sometimes because of the small seeds which excite 
the intestines to action, or possibly owing to the sugar or acids 
contained in the fruit. The acid content also alkalinizes the 
blood, since the acid compounds of the salts are converted into 
carbonates of the alkali metals during the process of com- 
bustion. 

Gout is thereby favorably influenced, as it is also by the 
increased activity of the urinary system. The formation of 



308 Health Through Rational Diet. 

uric acid concretions in the kidneys and bladder is prevented. 
Owing to this alkalinizing property of fruit its use is indicated 
in cases where a diet rich in meat and leguminous vegetables 
is indulged in and acid urine is formed, as, in fact, whenever 
acids are formed in the body, particularly in severe cases of 
diabetes. In such instances the fruit-sugar may also have a 
beneficial action, as it tends to antagonize the formation of ace- 
tone. In light cases of diabetes it should be remembered that 
almost the half of the sugar content of fruit consists of fruit- 
sugar, which is often much better assimilated than other kinds 
of sugar. In my last work on diabetes I particularly advised 
the use of fruit by diabetics. Owing to the properties men- 
tioned the eating of fruit is also often of great use in arterio- 
sclerosis, as the fruit juices counteract the abnormal viscidity 
of the blood. We have already referred to the fact that some 
skin diseases are much improved by the use of certain kinds of 
fruit. 

We consider it advisable for every one to eat some fruit 
daily. In the spring, when the cherries ripen, they should be 
eaten every day as long as the season lasts ; then there are the 
various kinds of berries; later, apricots, plums, pears, and 
peaches, and in the autumn grapes, which can, with a little 
care, be kept nearly until Christmas time by hanging the 
bunches up carefully in a storage room. Hothouse grapes may 
then come into use ; they are available until February or even 
later, and in June there will again be a fresh crop. Apples are 
to be had pretty much the whole year round, and oranges as 
well, except in the autumn. 

While referring to the numerous and great advantages of 
fruit as an article of diet, I must not forget to mention its pos- 
sible disadvantages. Certain stomachs, particularly those in- 
clined to overacidity, cannot tolerate fruit; but in the cooked 
form almost anyone can take it without any ill effects. Some 
fruits, e.g., the strawberry, may in certain persons give rise to 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 309 

skin eruptions. In cases where the urine is alkaline the use of 
fruit is contraindicated, particularly such varieties as contain 
much acid ; and certain fruits, such as figs, plums, gooseberries, 
etc., which contain quite an amount of oxalic acid (figs con- 
tain, in ioo grams, o.i gram of oxalic acid), should not be 
indulged in by persons having oxaluria. Where there is much 
flatulence, fresh fruits should not be eaten ; stewed fruits, such 
as plums, etc., would be much better. 

In view of the very great influence of fruit upon the health 
of the population in general, it would be desirable that the 
duties collected on fruits be abolished. The importation of 
fruit, which is not increasing in this country (Austria), is so 
slight that the budget is not materially increased by the duties 
collected, and the improvement in the health of the people 
would save the country many large expenditures which far 
exceed the revenue from the duties imposed on fruits. 

(m) Beverages. 
i. Coffee. 

When one leads a regular and frugal life, and has besides 
the quality of being able to govern his temper, he will not find 
it necessary to resort to artificial stimulants in order to keep 
himself up to the mark, or as a consolation factor whenever 
disappointed or depressed. When one has, however, eaten a 
full meal of meat, etc., and feels tired and sleepy afterward, it 
is only natural that he should long for some drink such as 
coffee. This stirs him up and enlivens him, and he feels much 
better. For this enlivening action of the coffee we must thank 
an Arabian shepherd who discovered the coffee bush, having 
noticed that his flocks were always very active and lively after 
having eaten the beans which he saw on these bushes. He 
made and drank a decoction from the beans, and himself ex- 
perienced a sense of exhilaration. As his neighbors reproved 



310 Health Through Rational Diet. 

him, saying that he had sinned against the laws of the prophets, 
and took him before the Kadi, the story came out, and now the 
Mohammedans consider this beverage as a gift of God, as a 
reward for their abstinence from alcohol. 

In order that the coffee shall possess this stimulating 
property, together with an excellent taste and fine aroma, which 
also enhances the taste, it must first be of a good quality and 
the next great requirement is that it be freshly ground and 
made just before using. It is also important that only soft — 
and when possible distilled — water be used for making coffee. 
It is often well-nigh impossible for those who must take 
their meals in restaurants to ever be able to drink a really good 
aromatic cup of coffee, since it is the custom in most coffee- 
houses — fortunately not often here in Austria-Hungary — to 
make a supply for the whole day and to then deal out this black 
soup as it is required. Although it is asserted that coffee is 
more healthful when chicory is added, it certainly does not at 
all improve the taste. Unfortunately, just in that country 
which obtains the very best coffee from its colonies — Holland — 
a very great quantity of chicory is used. We must, therefore, 
pardon the Saxons for their extensive use of such coffee. I 
have, nevertheless, sometimes drunk better coffee in the very 
heart of Saxony than in some parts of northern Germany. 
This does not, of course, refer to the Hanseatic cities, which 
are renowned for their excellent coffee. Concerning the Dutch 
coffee, the wife of a greatly esteemed clinician told me that, 
unfortunately, the very finest coffee from the Dutch colonies — 
that coming from Preangor — is chiefly sent to Austria, and 
that in Holland itself it is difficult to get any of it. This is 
unfortunately frequently the case with the native products 
of a country. 

The very excellent quality of coffee drank in Austria is 
well known in other countries, and our Carlsbad coffee is 
everywhere praised. The very fine cream and milk which we 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 311 

drink here may help to make it so, for coffee is always im- 
proved when cream is added to it. In Scandinavia, especially 
in Denmark and Sweden, the coffee is excellent, — no doubt 
partially because of the very fine cream. A most important 
point is the fresh roasting and grinding of coffee, and this is 
carefully carried out in Carlsbad and in Austria-Hungary in 
general, but not always in Germany. In one of the very best 
hotels in Carlsbad coffee is prepared as follows: the roasted 
coffee is first very finely ground, and is then firmly pressed into 
a coffee machine, then only one large spoonful of water which 
has just reached the boiling point is poured over it, and the 
machine is covered so that the aroma cannot escape. As soon 
as this water has soaked through the coffee, more of the freshly 
boiling water is poured over it. The water used for this pur- 
pose must be freshly boiled and not such as has been standing 
for hours on the fire. Drinking-water, and not general utility 
water, should be used for this purpose. The cream, when used 
hot, must also be freshly brought to the boiling point, and not 
first boiled and then left to cool, and afterward warmed up 
again as required ; in that case the coffee will have a grayish 
color, and "fat-eyes" will gather upon its surface. For making 
good coffee, 2 decigrams of coffee beans and 1 / 6 liter of water 
are required. A good mixture is preferable to only one kind 
of coffee. When the nerves are easily excited 1 decigram of 
coffee will be sufficient. 

The composition of coffee — when roasted — is as follows, 
according to Konig : — 

Fat (ether Tannic Other car- 

Protein. Caffeine, extract). Sugar. Dextrin. acid, bohydrates. Cellulose. 
Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. 

12.64 1.16 13.85 1.31 1.31 4.65 39.88 18.07 

The ash contains the following amount of nutrient salts : — 

Phosphoric Sulphuric Silicic 

Potash. Lime. Magnesia. Iron. acid. acid. acid. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

61.47 6.19 9.69 0.65 13.39 3.80 0.54 



312 Health Through Rational Diet. 

___ ^ 

The exhilarating action of coffee is due to its caffeine con- 
tent. It excites the central nervous system, and large quanti- 
ties will cause sleeplessness ; it is consequently not advisable to 
take coffee at the evening meal, although many persons are 
able through habit to drink it just before going to bed without 
being kept awake. Owing to the caffeine coffee prevents 
fatigue, as has been experimentally shown by Schumburg with 
both coffee and tea; in muscular exertion it has a refreshing 
action. I have personally observed that when taking long 
tramps of 20 to 30 kilometers I did not get at all tired and 
made the rest of the way quite easy by taking coffee with my 
midday meal — after having walked 12 kilometers. When the 
muscles have already become exhausted caffeine does not have 
much effect, according to Schumburg. It has, likewise, a 
stimulating action upon the vasomotor system and the heart 
activity; the pulse is also increased. 

Owing to the increased blood-pressure caused by the 
caffeine, the use of coffee should be forbidden in arterio- 
sclerosis ; caffeine-free coffee is very much better, and it is also 
well tolerated by the stomach. Coffee, owing to its property 
of stimulating the intellectual activity and of removing fatigue, 
is often greatly misused by brainworkers. While it does for a 
time brace one up for working, the work is paid for with in- 
terest by the increased wear and tear, so to speak, of important 
organs of the body. As far as the stomach is concerned, coffee 
often causes less injury than tea, — which contains more 
tannin, — especially when there is overacidity of the stomach; 
it must, however, not be too* strong. Generally speaking, coffee 
is not indicated in affections of the stomach. Coffee acts as an 
antidote for certain poisons such as opium and alcohol. Binz 
found that dogs which had been stupefied by alcohol could be 
waked up by coffee. It also has a favorable action upon 
metabolism) in the sense that by its use the end-product of 
nitrogen, e.g., urea, is eliminated in larger quantities, as is also 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 313 

common salt. Coffee has a diuretic effect. On the other hand, 
it has an unfavorable action in the uric acid diathesis, as 
caffeine promotes the formation of uric acid to a considerable 
extent. 

Umber and Schittenhelm strictly prohibit the use of coffee 
in gout. I consider it a mistake, however, to suddenly abso^ 
lutely forbid coffee or any similar substance which people may 
have been accustomed to taking all their lives. It is more prac- 
tical and even more healthful not to forbid them entirely, but 
to allow very small quantities. When a person has good 
kidneys the quantity of uric acid furnished by the caffeine can 
be readily eliminated; it will only be necessary to lessen the 
quantity of uric acid by making the coffee quite weak. 

The drinking of pure black coffee I consider injurious not 
only for invalids, but for healthy persons as well, especially 
when they are at all "nervous"; but a little coffee of good 
quality with a good deal of cream is, I believe, not injurious 
for the majority of people. For persons who* cannot take 
ordinary coffee that free f rom caffeine would prove useful. It 
tastes very good with creanx 

2. Tea. 

When one drinks tea in England it probably tastes better 
than on the Continent, but I consider it less healthful, if indeed 
the term healthful may be used in referring to tea, Personally, 
I am of a different opinion. The English tea tastes very 
strong ; in fact, the English have a preference for strong spices, 
flavors, and drinks, which however do them no great harm, 
as they are especially long-lived. In England the Indian or 
Ceylon teas are mostly used, which are not only stronger, but 
also contain more tannic acid, than the Chinese tea. Whoever 
likes a mild, very pleasant tasting tea would do well to drink 
"tschaj" in Russia, where it is always brewed in the samovar 



314 



Health- Through Rational Diet. 



at every breakfast, dinner, and supper. This tea tastes better 
and has a finer aroma than the strong tea one gets in England. 
The amount of tannic acid contained in tea plays an im- 
portant part, for it is this substance which in many persons 
causes acid eructations after drinking tea ; this is especially the 
case when it is taken on an empty stomach: It is best to take 
tea with bread and ham, as advised by Hutchison. As they 
are a tea-drinking nation, English investigators, and Roberts 
in particular, have carefully considered the qualities and dis- 
advantages of tea. He found that, owing to the tannic acid 
which it contains, tea retarded the digestion of starches — the 
Chinese tea less so than other varieties. According to Konig, 
the tannic acid content and other constituents of black and 
green teas are as follows : — 





Nitrogen total. 
Per cent. 


Theine. 
Per cent. 


Tannic substances. 
Per cent. 


Green tea 


4.78 
4.58 


1.7 

2.3 


16.8 


Black tea 


15.2 







We shall also give the substances contained in the ash. 
Tea contains the following nutrient salts : — 



Potash. Soda. 
Per cent. Per cent. 

37.50 8.01 



Iron Manganese Phosphoric 
Lime. Magnesia, oxide. oxide. acid. Chlorine. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

13.71 5.71 4.47 1.05 7.57 1.69 



As shown above, tea is particularly rich in iron. It is also 
evident that a quantity of tannic substance is contained in tea- 
leaves — more in the green than in the black. It is just this 
tannic acid content which is so injurious for the stomach. The 
longer the tea-leaves are drawn, that is to say, the longer it 
takes to make the tea, the more tannic acid there will be in it. 
In order to minimize the effect of the tannic acid Roberts 
recommends that a small quantity of bicarbonate of soda be 
placed in the teacup. This also remedies the injurious effect of 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 315 

the tea upon the digestion of the starches. The taste of the tea 
is not in any way affected. He also states that it is best to take 
tea after a meal. With an empty stomach both tea and coffee 
are injurious. When the stomach is sensitive, Roberts advises 
the use of very little tea, which should at the same time be quite 
weak. According to a table by Hutchison, tea is more easily 
digested than coffee. Thus, 220 cubic centimeters of tea re- 
mained only one and one-half hours in the stomach ; the same 
quantity of coffee one and three-quarter hours. Cocoa is even 
more digestible, for it remained in the stomach only one and 
one-quarter hours. Tea contains a substance identical with 
caffeine, which is here called theine. This also has an excitant 
effect upon the nervous system, in many cases even more so 
than caffeine, especially in regard to preventing sleep. Tea is 
consequently no better adapted for the use of nervous persons 
than is coffee ; when one cannot well do without it, it would be 
advisable to weaken it with a great deal of milk, and in this 
way the tannic acid would be less disturbing for the digestion. 
In preparing tea the directions given by Hutchison, which 
I shall now quote, should be followed : The water, in boiling, 
must first be in full ebullition, and the teapot should also be 
heated, as otherwise many volatile substances would not be 
drawn out from the leaves. The infusion should only last 
from four to five minutes, for when it is drawn for a longer 
time too much tannic acid and other bitter substances will go 
into the tea. The water is here of the same importance as 
when making coffee. Hutchison says that the Chinese prefer 
using the water of running streams, then mountain spring 
water or that of rivers; spring water is least adapted for the 
purpose. Since the water should take up air, the pitcher or 
kettle should be held high up when the water is poured over the 
tea. The water should not be too rapidly boiled. Hard water 
is bad, and some bicarbonate of soda should be placed in the 
pot; otherwise, certain important constituents which affect the 



316 Health Through Rational Diet. 



taste would be lacking. In regard to the quantity of tea to be 
used, I give the English rule quoted by Hutchison: "One 
teaspoonful for each person and one for the pot." 



3. Mate and its Advantages. 

For persons who are too much excited by tea, mate is an 
excellent drink; it is less exciting to the nervous system, as 
I have been most strikingly able to convince myself in the case 
of an hysterical young lady who was my patient last summer. 
This tea is made from the leaves of a kind of prickly holly 
(Ilex paragnayensis) which grows in Paraguay and even more 
plentifully in thickets (Hervaes) in southern Brazil. These 
leaves are chopped into small pieces or are finely ground. Ac- 
cording to the recent experiments of French investigators, mate 
accelerates the circulation of the blood and diminishes fatigue 
consequent upon muscular exertion, and also prevents the sen- 
sation of hunger without, however, in any way affecting the 
appetite. In Brazil and in many other countries of South 
America mate is much used for breakfast, especially by persons 
subject to stomach disturbances or having diabetes. Whether 
this tea has any curative properties in such affections must 
still be determined. That it is fitted to take the place of 
ordinary tea is shown by the fact that it also contains theine; 
according to an analysis by Fournier, it contains from 5 to 6 
grams of alkaloids to the kilo (caffeine, mateine, theine). 
Konig 1 gives the contents of mate as follows : — 

Nutrient Salts in Mate. 

Protein. Theine. Tannin. Medium amount of tannic acid. 

11.20 per cent. 0.89 per cent. 6.89 per cent. 4.50 to 9.59 per cent. 

We thus see that mate contains only half as much theine 
as does tea, and can consequently understand that it must be 



1 Konig : "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel, 
li, p. 1109. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 317 

less exciting to the nervous system. Certain important nutrient 
salts are also contained in mate, as, for instance, iron in quite 
considerable amounts, although less than in tea ; it also contains 
much more manganese oxide. 

We give here the amounts according to Konig: — 

Iron Manganese Phospho Sulphuric Silicic 

Lime. Magnesia. oxide. oxide. ric acid. acid. Chlorine. acid. 

Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. Percent. 

11.46 7.18 3.24 5.57 1.65 1.80 3.04 27.27 

In ioo grams of mate are dissolved by water : — 

Iron Manganese Phosphoric Sulphuric 
Potash. Lime. Magnesia, oxide. oxide. acid. acid. Chlorine. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

0.44 0.14 0.46 0.02 0.11 0.07 0.13 0.22 

Larger quantities of mate can be taken without producing 
the nervous symptoms caused by tea. When one considers that 
sometimes the Gauchos in the Pampas, when they are far away 
from the corrals and have been in the saddle for twenty-four 
hours, have only mate to satisfy their hunger and. to drive 
away the desire for sleep which threatens to overpower them, 
it must be admitted that the action of the mate must be quite 
a powerful one. 

In preparing mate 3 teaspoonfuls of it are put in cold 
water, which is then allowed to come to the boiling point. As 
soon as this has been reached it is removed from the fire, and 
after two or three minutes it is strained. The product obtained 
is a greenish-yellow liquid, which has a fine aroma. Milk may 
be added, and in my opinion it tastes much better than without 
it. Sugar is always added. Through the kindness of a patient 
of mine, Mr. Antonio dos Santos, from Rio Janeiro, I received 
a box of mate, which I took every morning for breakfast 
during quite a long time. It has a very agreeable taste, and 
when not made too strong is quite easily digested. After large 
quantities of a strong brew I always had acid eructations, but 
this is said not to be the case with most persons. My appetite 
for breakfast seemed to be improved, and fatigue seemed to be 



318 Health Through Rational Diet. 



diminished. I found that I was much less excited after having 
taken large quantities than was the case with tea. I consider 
that mate may very well take the place of ordinary tea, when 
the latter is not well tolerated. Whether it really can replace 
tea is a question of taste, and in this respect the old Spanish 
saying is true: "De gustos no hay disputa" (the matter of 
taste does not admit of dispute). If anyone asks me, however, 
which is most healthful, tea or mate, I would not hesitate to 
recommend mate. 



4. Cocoa, Chocolate, and their Advantages. 

As the discoverer, Pizzaro, sailed along the Pacific Coast 
with his soldiers, they saw everywhere, throughout the king- 
dom of the Incas, blooming cocoa and carefully planted corn 
plantations. The celebrated American historian, Prescott, 
relates this in his work, "The Conquest of Peru.' , He also 
states, in his book on the conquest of Mexico by Cortes, that 
Montezuma, that most unfortunate Emperor of Mexico, had 
at his disposal 50 pots of cocoa daily for his own use, and 2000 
pots for his household. The old Mexicans even accepted bags 
of cocoa for payments due them. We need not be surprised 
at the value placed upon cocoa, when we consider that it has a 
very enlivening and refreshing action. It was for this reason 
that the celebrated Swedish scholar, Linne (Carl Linnaeus), 
the contemporary and friend of Boerhaave, who was enthu- 
siastically fond of cocoa, called it a gift of the gods, — 
"theobroma." Secondly, notwithstanding its enlivening and 
stimulating action, cocoa is less injurious to the nervous 
system, and is more easily digested than coffee and tea. It is a 
more dietetic drink and is free from the undesirable reflex ef- 
fects exerted by coffee and tea. This is a property all the more 
appreciated by Linne, since our worthy colleague suffered from 
gout, and had two apoplectic attacks before his death. He 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 319 

had a large medical practice in Stockholm, which, together 
with his scientific pursuits, kept him very busy. Linne drank 
a considerable daily dose of cocoa, and that it agreed with him 
is surprising in view of the fact that he had gout, for cocoa also 
contains a similar substance to that present in coffee and tea — 
theobromine — which furthers the formation of uric acid. It 
must also not be forgotten that cocoa contains more oxalic acid 
than any other food substance. It is less exciting than tea and 
coffee, and is also more easily digested than either. We may 
also mention that cocoa is made — like coffee and tea — by steep- 
ing in hot water. It is only in this way that the soluble 
substances contained in the leaves and beans, which have pre- 
viously been cleaned, roasted, and finally ground, can be ob- 
tained, together with a greater or less amount of their fat 
content. The amount of nitrogen contained in cocoa is very 
large. There are also considerable amounts of nutritive sub- 
stances, as will be seen by the following table by Konig. In 
the cocoa free from oil are contained : — 

Protein. Theobromine. Pat. Starches. Other carbohy- Cellulose. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. drates. Per cent. Per cent. 

20.43 1.88 28.34 15.60 17.70 5.37 

The nutrient salt content is likewise important, for certain 
of the salts, especially phosphorus, are present in even larger 
amounts than in cereals. In the fresh substance cocoa contains, 
according to Balland, between 0.38 per cent, and 0.57 per cent, 
of phosphorus and 0.89 per cent, to 1.30 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid, while coffee only contains 0.13 per cent, to 0.17 per cent, 
of phosphorus. The composition of the ash, according to 
Konig's table, is as follows: — 

Nutrient Salts in Cocoa. 

Phosphoric Sulphuric 
Potash. Soda. Lime. Magnesia. Iron oxide. acid. acid. Chlorine. 

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 

31.43 1.33 5.07 16.26 0.14 30.46 3.74 0.75 



320 Health Through Rational Diet. 

The large amount of phosphoric acid and of other nutri- 
tive salts present may be noticed in this table. 

The very useful cocoa-beans come mostly from South and 
Central America. They constitute the fruit of the cocoa tree, 
and may be gathered at almost any time of the year ; the tree 
is constantly bearing fruit, and has the very great advantage 
over the coffee and tea plants of being very easily cultivated 
and requiring little care, though exceedingly fruitful. The 
fruits of the trees in Surinam contain the greatest number of 
beans, and the finest cocoa comes from Caracas in Venezuela, 
although that coming from Surinam is but little inferior to it. 
The greatest quantities are, however, exported from Brazil, 
from the province of Bahia. I tasted the raw cocoa-beans and 
found the taste quite pleasant. The greater portion could be 
readily masticated and was not hard to digest; of course, I 
only swallowed the part which could be easily chewed. More- 
over, cocoa, as I have already stated, is quite well digested, for 
which reason it is given the preference over coffee and tea in 
cases of stomach and intestinal catarrh. The Dutch cocoa is 
very easily digested ; in this the cocoa is mixed with potassium 
carbonate or sodium, carbonate, thus making the nutritive sub- 
stances more soluble. When too much alkali is contained in it, 
stomach disturbances and diarrhea are easily caused. When 
it contains much fat the cocoa is not so easily digested, but even 
then the stomach is less injuriously affected than it is by strong 
tea or coffee. All in all, cocoa is the most healthful drink 
among these beverages, with perhaps the exception of mate. It 
has the advantage not possessed by the three beverages dis- 
cussed above that, while not exciting, it is enlivening and re- 
freshing and also nourishing. When a person takes 2 or 3 
cups of cocoa he is never as much excited as after having drank 
2 or 3 cups of tea or coffee. He has at the same time absorbed 
considerable nourishment, for 100 grams of cocoa contain 
about 420 calories. For this reason cocoa is not indicated for 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 321 

persons who are overstout, or for those who do not wish to get 
too stout; but for those who wish to have a beverage which 
will be nourishing and not injurious, as, for instance, in dia- 
betes, unsweetened cocoa taken with a very little fruit-sugar 
would be useful. For vegetarians cocoa is an ideal beverage, 
as it is also nourishing, which is a feature not to be despised 
with a vegetable diet. Cocoa mixed with malt, as in malt 
cocoa, or in the form of chocolate is even more nourishing, 1 
as much sugar is contained in chocolate. The rule is that there 
should be equal parts of cocoa and sugar, but unfortunately 
there is frequently more sugar and but little cocoa. Chocolate 
which is properly made with a sufficient quantity of cocoa is 
not only nourishing, but tastes very good, as in the bonbons 
"Gianduia di Torino." All properly made varieties of choco- 
late may be very useful to us, as with a very small amount in 
bulk a quantity of valuable nutritious substances are absorbed. 
Owing to its high carbohydrate content chocolate is a partic- 
ularly well adapted food for those undergoing muscular exer- 
tions, as in mountain climbing, etc. Just as when a horse is 
given a piece of sugar after any special exertion, so when 
taking very long tramps, or when ascending mountains, we 
should always take several small pieces of chocolate whenever 
we stop for a rest. In chocolate, according to Konig, are con- 
tained 6.27 per cent, of protein, 0.62 per cent, of theobromine, 
21.20 per cent, of fat, 1.36 per cent, of tartaric acid, 53.70 per 
cent, of sugar, 4.07 per cent, of starch, with 5.59 per cent, of 
other carbohydrates and 1.67 per cent, of cellulose. With such 
a high nutritive content, chocolate, taken as an agreeable 
delicacy after a meal, would likewise complete the measure of 
the food taken, especially in the case of strict vegetarians ; it is 
consequently a beneficial habit to have a piece of chocolate in 
one's pocket to be eaten just after a meal. Chocolate and small 



1 The word chocolate is from the Aztec : Chocolatl ; cocoa is from 
cacahuaquite. 

21 



322 Health Through Rational Diet. 

candies should never be taken before meals, as is so frequently 
done by children and many ladies. From the standpoint of a 
rational mode of feeding there is no more mistaken and de- 
plorable habit than this childish custom, which spoils the appe- 
tite for the principal meals and at the same time undermines 
the health. After meals it is quite an advisable thing to eat a 
little candy or chocolate if one wishes to grow fat, or to com- 
plete a rather insufficient meal. Many ladies and some gentle- 
men prefer to take the latter substance in solution in the form 
of a cup of chocolate; it was preferred in this way by that 
great epicure, Brillat-Savarin. His directions for making good 
chocolate 1 were as follows: About iy 2 ounces of chocolate 
(about 50 grams) is dissolved in water over the fire; when it 
is warmed through, it should be thoroughly stirred and then be 
allowed! to boil for one-fourth hour, until it thickens a little. 
It is to be taken warm. The best way to make chocolate is, 
however, that recommended to Brillat-Savarin by Madame 
d'Arrestrel, the Superior of the Convent of Belley, one hundred 
and fifty years ago. The chocolate should, according to her, 
be made the evening before and be left standing overnight in 
a porcelain pot. In this way it becomes concentrated, and has 
te un veloute qui le rend bien meilleur" (a velvety smoothness 
which greatly improves it). The greatest amount of chocolate 
is probably taken in Spain; everywhere from Barcelona to 
Cadiz I saw it being drunk in the cafes, and I also found the 
"enciemada" very good. 

Cocoa was brought into Spain by Columbus, and the 
envoy of that country, at that time so rich and powerful, took 
it as presents to the other courts of Europe; it thus came into 
general use. In France it is very much used ; it is the pleasant 
custom in that country to pass around chocolate bonbons after 
the dinner, which I find is at the same time not at all detri- 
mental to the health. At the end of a meal, on a full stomach, 

1 Brillat-Savarin : Loc. cit., p. 20. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 323 

is the best time to take them ; they do not then interfere with 
the digestion. Notwithstanding 1 all the praise which has been 
accorded to chocolate and cocoa, we must not forget to men- 
tion that they are injurious in the presence of an oxalic acid 
diathesis, as they contain as much as 0.45 per cent, of oxalic 
acid. 



5. Alcoholic Beverages. 

It would hardly fall within the scope of a work on the 
rational modes of feeding and nourishment to enter fully into 
a discussion of alcoholic drinks. We have deemed it preferable 
to give more attention to vegetables and fruits. If we do here 
refer briefly to alcoholic drinks, it is merely because there are 
many people who do not consider it an irrational proceeding to 
indulge in a glass of beer or wine after the day's work, or to 
add zest to their meal, or, again, simply because they enjoy it. 
Even if many do take pleasure in a good glass of wine or beer, 
I do not see why such a custom should be condemned, since 
we are not really born into this vale of tears to be martyrs. 
From the standpoint of hygiene, it cannot be affirmed that the 
taking of a glass of beer or wine, or possibly even two or three 
glasses of beer and a couple of small glasses of some light wine 
each day, will cause any great damage. The labors of a 
number of investigators (Atwater and Benedict, Rosemann, 
and others) have shown that alcohol has certain nourishing 
properties. It is also stimulating, and there are many persons 
who in the intervals of their arduous labors are spurred on to 
a continuation of their work by a glass of beer or wine. 
Alcohol is only injurious, for the majority of persons, when 
taken in large quantities ; we have treated this subject in detail 
in our book, "Old Age Deferred." To forbid the enjoyment 
of a glass of beer to a hard-working and temperate person be- 
cause there are others who cannot drink without becoming 



324 Health Through Rational Diet. 

intoxicated appears to me to be unjust, and is at all events an 
interference with personal liberty. Such absolute prohibition, 
in general, only leads to unbridled indulgence ; I noticed, in the 
case of patients who may have been in the habit of taking 10 
to 12 glasses of beer, that, when I allowed them to take one 
glass of Pilsner beer, which is principally used here, at each 
meal, they adhered strictly to this amount, but when it was 
absolutely forbidden they usually drank more. In the case of 
beer it should be remembered that it is not only an agreeable 
drink, but is also somewhat nourishing. In addition to its 
alcohol content — which is happily not at all large — beer also 
contains sugar and dextrin ; in the dark beers there is quite an 
appreciable quantity. The least injurious beer, from the 
hygienic standpoint, is that which does not contain much 
alcohol. The beer which is drunk in this country (Austria) 
contains only from 3 to 4 per cent, of alcohol ; in export beers 
more alcohol is added to make them keep better ; they are con- 
sequently rather more injurious. Nevertheless, the beer ex- 
ported from Austria and Germany does not contain over 6 per 
cent, of alcohol. 

This added amount of alcohol affects the taste of beer, and 
in Bavaria the beer tastes very much better than it does in 
distant places in Germany. Since English beers and porter, 
ale, and stout contain as much as 8 per cent, of alcohol, an 
Austrian white wine or a Rhine wine is undoubtedly a more 
healthful drink. Among the beers which contain the smallest 
amount of alcohol are lager beer and certain varieties drunk 
in Belgium, such as faro and brun. It is no doubt not an un- 
warranted assertion to say that a small quantity of beer taken 
daily will not harm anyone, but that, on the contrary, it may 
even prove beneficial. It increases the appetite, for' instance, 
and favors the action of the bowels. In many persons a little 
beer helps the appetite and has an enlivening effect; with 
others, such as nervous people, it causes them to sleep better. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 325 

It is certain, however, that beer is injurious when taken in 
large quantities not only because of its alcohol content, but 
also because of the mechanical influence of large quantities of 
fluid upon the heart, blood-vessels, and kidneys. Such excess- 
ive beer drinking may give rise to very serious results, and it 
is certain that the development of arteriosclerosis may be 
caused by it. Excessive and sometimes even moderate beer 
drinking is detrimental in gout, since, according to Haig and 
Walker Hall, beer — particularly the dark varieties — contains 
substances which promote the formation of uric acid. In 
cases of gravel and stone in the bladder it is likewise injurious. 
Dark beer, in particular, is harmful in diabetes; in fact, it is 
better for these patients not to take any beer, and the same is 
true in the case of obesity. 

Wine is even less than beer to be considered a nourishing 
substance; it is strictly as an enjoyable drink that wine is taken. 
As with beer, it can be stated that a small quantity — say, one 
or two small glasses of a slightly acid Austrian or Rhine or 
Mosel wine, and possibly on holidays even an additional glass 
— taken with the midday meal is not likely to prove injurious; 
the wine taken should not contain more than 8 per cent, of 
alcohol. The same quantity of a genuine Hungarian wine, 
such as the Ofner and Erlauer varieties, or of the French 
Bordeaux or Austrian Tyrolese wines may be taken, when they 
do not contain more than 8 per cent, of alcohol. The Pfalz 
and certain varieties of Mosel wines, which contain n to 12 
per cent, of alcohol, are more dangerous, as is also Burgundy ; 
a variety of the latter, and also an excellent Bordeaux wine, 
are made in Belgium. 

In the matter of wine the two constituent nations of 
Belgium are also divided. The Flemish have carried on the 
worship of Bordeaux wine from the time of their ancestors; 
they keep it for years in their cellars ; and although, according 
to historical traditions, many illustrious princes of Burgundy 



326 Health Through Rational Diet. 



having resided in Bruges, it would seem that Burgundy should 
be preferred by the Flemish, it is really the Walloons, in the 
neighborhood of Charleroi and Mons, who are able to> age the 
Burgundy wine as it is done nowhere else; so that even the 
French travel across the frontier to drink a good Burgundy — 
in Belgium. Such a Burgundy, however, which tickles the 
palate with its delicious aroma, is not good for the health, and 
when a man is gouty and has the means permitting of a choice 
between Bordeaux and Burgundy, but has not the will power 
to deprive himself of both — which would be the proper thing 
to do — Bordeaux is the one to be selected. I forbid both when 
I am treating gouty patients. In fact, no wine is indicated in 
gout except perhaps a very moderate amount of a light white 
wine, although some authors do not positively object to red 
wine. Wine should also be avoided in arteriosclerosis, as well 
as in renal and vesical calculi, and especially in cirrhosis of the 
liver; in fact, alcohol should be avoided in all diseases of the 
liver. In the majority of nervous diseases wine is not advis- 
able, even when taken in moderate quantities. W T e cannot 
deny, however, that good, genuine wine of the lighter varieties 
has its advantages when used in small quantities. In many 
persons it has an enlivening and cheering effect, the appetite 
is stimulated, and in some the desire to work is increased. In 
diarrhea the tannin content may have a favorable effect, and 
Neubauer and others have obtained good results in severe 
cases of diabetes. 

I find less excuse for the use of fruit wines when they, 
like those made from berries, contain 10 to n per cent, of 
alcohol, since in their manufacture sugar is also added, which, 
by its fermentation, further increases the alcohol content. 
When one cannot do without taking alcohol in the form of 
wine, such artificial products should at least not be used ; they 
are more injurious than ordinary light wines. I must also 
decry these chemical products because of their treacherous and 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 327 

deceiving effects ; a person taking strawberry wine will be more . 
easily intoxicated than with the fermented juice of the vine, 
i.e., regular wine. Among the substitutes apple wine might 
be best recommended, since it probably does not contain more 
alcohol than beer, — about \Y 2 to 5 per cent. Fruit wines were 
probably not meant in the verse of the Holy Scriptures in 
which it says that "Wine maketh glad the heart of man." 

When the alcohol content, as in southern wines such as 
Malaga, and even more so in port-wine (16 to 17 per cent.), 
is pretty high, — the Tokay wine contains 11 to 12 per 
cent., — the dangers of wine may be even greater. Fortunately, 
the rather high price of these wines prevents their being used 
to any great extent. As far as their value is concerned, they 
are rather to be regarded as remedial agents than for simple 
enjoyment. Taken in small quantities they have a tonic action. 
A small glass of Tokay, Malaga, or Madeira may be useful for 
weak or delicate persons, those debilitated by disease, anemic 
persons, or convalescents after exhausting diseases. In this 
respect the much more alcoholic cognacs and whisky (40 to* 50 
per cent, alcohol) are also beneficial. Their only role is as 
remedial agents, and they should be considered as tonics. 
Other poisonous substances besides alcohol act as remedies in 
small doses, but when more of them are taken, become 
poisons. To be sure, there are persons — especially in England 
and America — who have grown very old while taking such 
poisons; in my work on "Old Age Deferred" I cited the case 
of an old lady who, having taken a tablespoonful of whisky 
every day, lived to be over 100 years old. It is certain, how- 
ever, that such cases are exceptions, since the devotees of 
alcohol, especially in the form of alcoholic drinks, go to pieces 
both bodily and mentally at an early age. We have shown in 
the above-mentioned work the terrible results due to the use of 
this scourge of mankind. We shall now close this chapter, as 



328 Health Through Rational Diet. 

the limited space available in this work must be devoted to more 
useful subjects than that of alcoholic beverages. 



(n) Sugar, Saccharin, Ice-cream, Honey, and 
Maple Syrup. 

A food substance for which children and young girls have 
a marked predilection is sugar and sweets in general. I am 
inclined to consider such a craving as a kind of instinct which 
should not be denied, as it is the expression of some necessity 
and will have a beneficial effect. It seems to be so in this case, 
and the satisfying of this craving would appear to be a physio- 
logical requirement when we consider that in childhood another 
of the main food groups — a meat diet — is not indicated, since 
those of the ductless glands which have the property of 
destroying the toxic products formed in the organism by the 
decomposition of the meat in the body are not developed until 
just before the age of puberty, e.g., the thyroid gland. Sieg- 
mund has called attention to the interesting fact that the chil- 
dren who show symptoms of inherited weakness of the thyroid 
gland have a very decided craving for large quantities of 
sugar. When such a child was treated with thyroid extract 
tablets, this desire for sugar decreased. As a counterpart to 
this fact I would like to cite an observation which I have made 
upon myself. Every time I have experimentally taken thyroid 
tablets — 2 daily — I found that on taking honey — 50 to 60 
grams at a time — I felt a decided discomfort and about an hour 
later great fatigue, which symptoms did not occur when I had 
not been taking the thyroid extract for several days. It is an 
interesting fact that when a person has become a pronounced 
meat-eater he has very little desire for sugar and bonbons, 
while with children and weak and invalid women who do not 
care for meat the opposite is the case. 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 329 

Sugar is the best and the easiest form in which to use car- 
bohydrates as food, since the process of converting other carlx> 
hydrates — starch, for instance — is thereby spared, the sugar 
itself being then used. The sugar we use is either cane- or beet- 
sugar. As a matter of fact, we use chiefly the latter, as we 
do not often get cane-sugar. All of the sugar we add to our 
food is probably cleansed and refined beet-sugar; but both are 
equally nourishing, though the taste! is not the same. While 
tasting various kinds of beet- and cane- sugar in the harbor of 
Antwerp, I found that the cane-sugar has a much finer and 
more agreeable taste, while the beet-sugar has a slight after- 
taste of the beet. Stewed fruit and marmalades prepared with 
cane-sugar I found much the best. 

If we estimate the value of a food from the standpoint of 
its taste, then cane-sugar should be given the preference, but 
otherwise the two varieties are alike, for the sugar of the beet 
is quite like that of the cane, even though the former does have 
a slight after-taste. In the form of cut sugar — as the beet- 
sugar comes to our table — the difference in taste is scarcely 
distinguishable. Cane-sugar can be eaten from the cane. 
While in Mexico I saw such pieces of cane for sale in the 
markets of all of the cities. They form a good-tasting and 
healthful food. By simply biting the cane, the juice flows out. 
It is a great pity that we never have it in this country. 

Crushed or powdered sugar not only serves for sweetening 
many of our otherwise rather tasteless foods, such as flour 
foods, rice, certain sour vegetables, etc., but in certain quanti- 
ties it also enhances the nutritive value. When not taken in 
too considerable amounts, sugar is a healthful food, even in 
solutions ; when the latter are very concentrated they may have 
an irritating effect upon the gastric mucous membrane. Taken 
in large quantities at one time, as in bonbons, sugar is not a 
healthful food. It may give rise to fermentation and the 
formation of acid, and fruit marmalades containing a great 



330 Health Through Rational Diet. 

deal of sugar often lie very heavily upon the stomach. Sweets 
are to be strictly forbidden in obesity, and naturally also in 
diabetes. In such cases saccharin may be used; but otherwise 
the use of the latter is not to be recommended ; it is certainly 
dishonest for dealers to use saccharin for sweetening syrups, 
candies, etc., instead of sugar. This is a fraud, as it has abso- 
lutely no nutritive value. Saccharin is otherwise not injurious 
for the health, as has been proven by a number of experiments, 
but I am not a partisan of this artificial product, and for many 
of my diabetic patients, when they do not wish to be entirely 
deprived of a sweetening substance, I prefer to recommend the 
taking of very small quantities of fruit-sugar in their coffee, 
etc. The taste of saccharin is not very agreeable; in some 
kinds — dulcin, for example — the taste is somewhat alkaline, 
and in saxin rather less so. 

In other countries, especially in America and in England, 
sweets such as cream bonbons and candies of all sorts are 
used in enormous quantities, as is well shown by the very great 
number of shops in which candies and sweets are sold. In the 
United States and in Canada in all these shops, as well as in 
most drug stores, ice-cream taken in glasses with soda is sold. 
I found this variety of ice-cream very pleasant in taste, and it 
is to be regretted that this "ice-cream soda" has not been in- 
troduced here. In some few establishments in Berlin it is to be 
had. Ice-cream made from fruit juices, with the addition of a 
great deal of sugar and cream, I do not consider injurious. It 
has the same effect as sugar in general, viz., the transmission 
of the energy produced by the carbohydrates to the muscles, 
which has already been discussed in a special chapter of this 
work. Notwithstanding its being so cold, it really does not 
have an unfavorable action upon the stomach, not any more so 
than a glass of ice-water, which has been the subject of experi- 
ments by Best and Cohnheim. The case is quite different when 
falsified fruit juices and particularly when a poor quality of 






Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 331 

cream are used, as is not infrequently the case in vanilla and 
other ice-creams. This may give rise to very serious conse- 
quences through poisoning. 

We consider honey as a very excellent and hygienic food. 
It is gathered as nectar from the flowers by the bees, and is by 
them digested, thus converting the sugar into invert-sugar — 
a mixture of grape- and fruit- sugar. The bees then deposit 
the honey in the combs in the hives. Honey not only contains 
a very pleasant and palatable substance having the same nutri- 
tive value as the carbohydrates, but it also 1 contains small 
amounts of lecithin and an antiseptic substance, formic acid, 
furnished by the bee for the preservation of the honey. It 
contains 78 to 80 per cent, of carbohydrates, including approxi- 
mately equal parts of grape-sugar and fruit-sugar, although 
the former somewhat exceeds the amount of the latter. Honey 
also contains cane-sugar, dextrin, fats, and formic acid. Ac- 
cording to its origin, we have the linden, locust, and pine 
honey. In wooded, mountainous sections we obtain a very 
highly perfumed honey from the heather and other blossoms, 
and in some countries, e.g., in Cuba, there is a honey made from 
the wood narcissi. There is probably scarcely any other article 
of food which is so greatly falsified as honey, and it would be 
much the safest plan to buy it in the comb. When buying a 
clear, fluid honey one is never sure of what one is getting ; the 
colorless white honey is greatly falsified and starch syrup is 
frequently added to it. Sometimes, although really very 
rarely, honey may contain poisonous substances which the bees 
have sipped "from poisonous flowers. An account is given in 
Xenophon's Anabasis of how his entire army fell down in a 
stupefied condition after having eaten such poisonous honey. 
Such a result very rarely occurs with the honey which we 
obtain from the apiarist. 

Honey may render us very valuable services. It should 
never be missing in a vegetarian diet, but in any sort of a diet 



332 Health Through Rational Diet. 

good honey taken at breakfast will be very beneficial, as it has 
a very favorable effect upon the action of the bowels. Owing 
to its content of formic acid, honey also has certain curative 
properties, which have, however, been very little considered. 
In pharyngeal and bronchial catarrh it has a very soothing 
effect. In some countries it is used as an external application 
for painful areas. In solution it may be added to certain medi- 
caments and beverages, thus increasing their action. Mead, 
which is formed by the alcoholic fermentation of honey, is 
greatly liked in some countries. 

(o) Injurious and Uninjurious Spices and 
Condiments. 

Even though our foods may contain the most valuable 
nutritive substances, and may also not be entirely devoid of 
taste-bearing substances, the latter do not greatly come into 
play, and, above all, do not exert a stimulating effect upon the 
appetite, when other substances — spices, aromatics, condi- 
ments, etc. — have not been added for the purpose of flavoring 
them. And since it is so necessary that such substances be 
mixed with the food, they can surely not all be considered as 
injurious. Fortunately, our organs, and especially our kidneys, 
have been so perfectly designed by the Creator that they are 
able to withstand a temporary extra burden; and although a 
little pepper or paprika passes through them occasionally, this 
does not necessarily mean that these organs are consequently 
doomed to destruction. It is important, however, that this 
should not occur continuously, and that only small quantities 
of such substances be used ; it is also advisable that only such 
spices, etc., as are least injurious should be used. Salt is not 
injurious when not taken in too great quantities ; it may even 
have a beneficial action, as has been stated when referring to 
the nutrient salts. Many herbs and vegetable condiments, such 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 333 

as parsley, cives, garlic (in small quantities), capers, mar- 
joram, bayleaves, saffron, etc., are uninjurious. Fruit acids, 
such as those of the lemon, are not injurious and are often very 
useful; it is much more healthful to use lemon juice instead 
of vinegar in making salads. To be sure, a genuine wine or 
fruit vinegar would not be so bad, were it not so> frequently 
falsified by the addition of sulphuric and hydrochloric acids. 
The addition of small quantities of wine or fruit vinegars to 
certain otherwise indigestible foods is not harmful for healthy 
persons ; indeed, it even has the property of softening the hard 
portions of such foods, thereby making them more digestible. 

The condiments which are often added to bread, and par- 
ticularly the black breads, i.e., caraway, anis, and fennel seeds, 
probably have no deleterious action; they may, in fact, even 
exert a beneficial action in stimulating the bowels. The fre- 
quent use of strong seasoning, such as onions (the red onions 
are the best), and still less that of pepper, Spanish pepper 
(paprika), and ginger, is inadvisable. 

It is true that most of us prefer foods which contain a 
little pepper or paprika, and have a greater appetite for them, 
and consequently more gastric juice is secreted and they are 
better digested. Ginger has an even greater action in this 
respect. Without doubt the appetizing and very palatable 
properties of many Hungarian dishes are chiefly due to the 
liberal addition of paprika and red onions, although the special 
excellence of many products which grow in this so greatly 
blessed agricultural country may also be an essential factor in 
the palatability of the food prepared after the Hungarian 
fashion. It is also certain, however, that these highly seasoned 
foods which so many Hungarians eat daily have a very dele- 
terious effect upon their health. Many spices and condiments 
are, on the other hand, not injurious, and are required as addi- 
tions to food substances. In hot climates, and with us during 
the heat of summer, the appetite diminishes, and we feel very 



334 Health Through Rational Diet. 



little if any hunger. The consequence would be that our nutri- 
tion would suffer, were it not for the fact that the all-wise 
forethought of Nature — which always acts more sensibly than 
man — has provided in just these hot climates a series of the 
most powerful herbs and spices. Wherever rice grows — which 
product is poor in regard to taste-bearing constituents, and 
where many of the foods rich in starches, but having in general 
very little taste, also grow — there Mother Nature likewise 
allows a profusion of spices to thrive. And indeed, as I have 
already mentioned when speaking of rice foods, the natives, 
as well as the Europeans living in those countries, use these 
condiments very freely. They do very little harm, however, 
in such tropical climates, for the increased activity of the skin 
helps to carry them off before they have had time to injuriously 
affect the liver and the kidneys. If these organs are in any way 
impaired, the consequences will be serious; it is, moreover, a 
well-known fact that the health of Europeans living in the 
tropics will become affected if they do not perspire freely. 
Although these spices are not particularly injurious in such 
countries, the same is not the case in our latitude. It follows, 
therefore, that we should rather use spices, etc., in the hot 
summertime than in the winter, when it is cold, especially in 
the northern winters, where the activity of the skin is suspended 
and all injurious spices would have to be eliminated by the 
kidneys, thus subjecting these organs to serious injury. 

The taste of many foods, such as rice, coming from exotic 
countries is, in fact, very materially improved by the addition 
of saffron, cinnamon, etc. (rice with cinnamon and raisins is 
a delicious dish), while vanilla gives a fine aroma to sweets 
and pastry. All of these, when used in small quantities, as is 
usually the case, are probably not injurious. Pepper is also 
less injurious when it has been kept in a finely ground condi- 
tion for some time, by which the greater part of the ethereal 
oils are volatilized, and is only then used in foods. The grind- 



Good and Evil Effects of Various Food Substances. 335 

ing cf the pepper should, however, be done at home, as when 
one buys the powdered pepper it is impossible to say, just as is 
the case with other spices in this form, what may have been 
added to them. 



CHAPTER V. 

VEGETARIANISM AND ITS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVAN- 
TAGES. HINTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF THE LATTER. 

I. The Dangers of a Strictly Vegetarian Diet. 

It is the object of these lines to prove that a strictly 
vegetarian diet, when continued for a long time, is a very un- 
healthful and dangerous mode of nourishment. It is above 
all most irrational. For when — as I have so frequently seen 
in the vegetarian restaurants in Germany — a person who 
works hard all day takes for his midday meal a plate of green- 
vegetable soup, then, as the principal dish of the repast, carrots 
or spinach with potatoes, after this some apple sauce, and 
finally a few nuts or a small quantity of some other fruit, he is 
in great danger. . It is truly a murderous diet. His evening 
meal is also similarly composed, and his breakfast consists of 
some substitute for coffee. As a person absorbs with such a 
diet only a minimum quantity of albumin and carbohydrates, 
he subjects himself to all the dangers which we have enumer- 
ated in the chapters devoted to a one-sided diet and to insuffi- 
cient nourishment. The greatest of these is, however, the fact 
that the composition of the principal fluid of the body — the 
blood — is defective and its quantity is insufficient. 

This gives rise to anemia, and a most frequent result of 
such long-continued undernutrition is tuberculosis. Indeed, 
notwithstanding frequent visits to vegetarian restaurants in 
various countries, I have never seen a strict vegetarian who 
did not look pale and thin. 

There cannot possibly be a really scientific basis for such 
an erroneous mode of living. The most important producer of 
(336) 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 337 

energy in our foods, the albumin, is only very slightly repre- 
sented, and of this limited amount a considerable portion is 
lost in the intestine owing to the difficult assimilation. Since, 
however, strict vegetarians do not lay much stress upon 
albumin, the carbohydrates should necessarily be all the more 
plentifully represented in their nourishment. It is, neverthe- 
less, unfortunately the case that in the majority of vegetarian 
restaurants in Austria and particularly in Germany the main 
object seems to be to furnish very cheap foods. They are 
consequently greatly frequented by poor people who wish to 
dine cheaply. The proprietor naturally wishes to realize as 
much as possible ; consequently many aliments containing con- 
siderable amounts of carbohydrate, such as tapioca, sago, 
maizena, honey, and sometimes even rice, do not appear on 
their bills of fare, or are possibly not much called for, as the 
price is too high. According to Rubner, when there is too 
little albumin in the food, more carbohydrates and fats are 
necessary. In such a ridiculously strict vegetable diet this 
point is not even considered. The food consists principally of 
vegetables, and possibly cereals and fruit; in the majority of 
cases, however, the bulk of the food is composed of green 
vegetables, roots, cabbages, etc. Considerable amounts of 
these must then be taken in order to fill the requirements of 
the moment, and to still hunger. 

The cow is in the field from early morning until the 
evening in order to — and this is her only occupation — absorb 
a sufficient quantity of food for her needs ; and since the latter 
consists of grass which is not very rich in nitrogen, she must 
take a very great deal of it to thrive. If she does not do this 
and stops feeding, she is ill. A cow cannot starve for several 
days, nor can a strict vegetarian do so. He also must, day in 
and day out, take large quantities of food ; I must admit, how- 
ever, that some who subsist upon a fruit diet can, after a 
long training, manage with less. Whether they are as thor- 



338 Health Through Rational Diet. 

oughly invulnerable to a possible infection as those who use 
all kinds of foods is a question. The average strict vegetarian 
must, therefore, eat large quantities of cabbage and other 
varieties of vegetables, cereals, potatoes, etc. In order to 
utilize and assimilate it all, he would have to imitate the cow 
and possess four stomachs, to rechew his food. The intestine 
would have to be very much longer, with a large cecal pouch, 
containing the same ferment as in the rodents, — the cytase, — 
for him to be able to digest the great quantity of cellulose con- 
tained in such food. Since, however, he is not provided with 
all! this, he will fare badly when such a diet is too long con- 
tinued. To assist, in so far as possible, the digestion and 
assimilation of the foods in themselves already so poor in 
albumin, these foods must be very carefully masticated, which 
is only possible when the teeth are good; much saliva and 
gastric juice must also be provided — we have already men- 
tioned that bread requires five times as much pepsin as meat — 
and the intestine must secrete much fluid, in order to further 
the digestion and the elimination of the large amounts of feces 
resulting from such foods. All this would require an outlay 
on the part of the organism, since the cells thus given off would 
have to be replaced. The only substance in the food capable 
of accomplishing this renewal is the albumin. Now, in such 
a strictly vegetarian diet the absorption of albumin is very 
slight, for the intestinal juice cannot readily digest the cellulose 
in which the albumin is inclosed. Animals are better off in 
this respect, for all-wise Nature provides whatever is required 
to fit the circumstances, and has given to rodents a special 
ferment which breaks down the cellulose. As the human 
vegetarian is not provided with such ferment, much of the 
albumin in his food is lost to him. The starches are for the 
same reason also poorly assimilated. A considerable portion 
of the albumin and starch content of the food is also lost 
because such a diet exerts an irritating effect upon the intes- 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 339 

tine, and it is consequently expelled too soon, before the nu- 
trient substances have been absorbed. As a result of this, with 
the usual food of a strict vegetarian there must undoubtedly 
be a deficiency of albumin, as well as of carbohydrate; such a 
person is undernourished and is consequently subject to the 
dangers above named. 

A great disadvantage of such an erroneous mode of feed- 
ing is the very great amount of feces formed and the too fre- 
quent bowel movements. I have myself experimented with 
such a strict vegetarian diet for several days, and found that, 
instead of having, as usual, one bowel movement each day, 
there were two or three and sometimes even more; the feces 
were very much increased, as a considerable portion of the 
food itself was expelled with them. Such an augmentation of 
the stools is in no way advantageous, as the intestine is sub- 
jected to too violent exertion. While the cow gives off a 
quantity of dung, it serves as a valuable fertilizer for the earth 
from which she receives her nourishment; human excrements 
play no special role in this connection. 

It is certain that the digestive organs must suffer under 
such a diet, and that they must undergo certain changes due 
to their overactivity ; this is self-evident owing to the fact that 
they were not adapted by nature for such use. When a true 
vegetarian parent wishes to bring up his child — after it has 
been weaned — upon a strictly vegetable diet, it may be pos- 
sible that the child's intestines will become longer and better 
adapted for such food, but in the adult this is not to be ex- 
pected. Since, however, the suckling child of the vegetarian 
lives solely upon milk, i.e., a substance of animal origin, and 
could not be nourished in any other way, I cannot comprehend 
why he does not realize that this forms the proper food for the 
child, and does not therefore continue to feed it upon a milk- 
egg-vegetable diet, which is in my opinion the best and most 
rational one. 



340 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Such a strictly vegetable diet very frequently gives rise to 
gastric and intestinal disturbances, and many a vegetarian 
would undoubtedly be cured of his mania — for they are indeed 
often fanatics — were he to be shown his feces with the large 
amounts of undigested food contained therein. The intestines 
have vainly endeavored to utilize the latter, but the results are 
not at all in proportion to the effort entailed. Such a defective 
diet also has an injurious effect upon the nervous system and 
the mind as well, which fact has previously been referred to. 
While it is thus injurious to a normal individual, the vegetable 
diet may, on the other hand, be very beneficial in certain dis- 
eases, such as gout, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and obesity. All 
of these diseases are frequently the result of overfeeding, and 
consequently a less generous and nutritious diet, such as the 
purely vegetarian one, may be most useful. When, however, 
such a diet is to be persisted in for any length of time without 
giving rise to injurious consequences, certain rules must be 
followed which we shall discuss in the next chapter. 

2. Hints in Regard to the Rational Procedure in a 
Strictly Vegetarian Diet. 

The most important requirement in a rational vegetarian 
diet is the thorough cooking of the food, by which the cellulose 
coverings are burst asunder, thus enabling the digestive fluids 
to act successfully upon their contents. This requires a scien- 
tific mode of cooking, and it must be remembered that too 
great a heat must not be long continued. The starch granules 
are swollen by the heat, their outer covering is burst open, 
and the albuminous contents are freed; when, however, the 
heat is too great, they may, on the other hand, become shriveled 
up, and in this case the outer covering of cellulose will remain 
intact. It would therefore be more to the purpose not to sub- 
ject the foods to a very great heat for any length of time, and 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 341 

cooking in a steaming apparatus would undoubtedly be the 
best procedure, since in this way the important nutritive salts 
are not extracted from the vegetables, which very readily 
occurs when they are cooked in water for a long time. 

Thorough mastication of the food is even more important 
with a vegetarian than with a meat diet, since the action of 
the digestive fluids upon the cellulose-rich vegetables is 
materially lessened when the latter are not well masticated. 
For the meat-eater it does not so much matter whether a little 
more or less of his albumin-rich food is lost, while in the 
vegetarian diet, which is already poor in albumin, this plays 
an injurious role. Only a person having excellent teeth can be 
a good vegetarian ; when the latter are defective, as in the case 
of old people, the vegetables must be prepared in a fluid form 
or as purees or soups, or be chopped very fine. 

It would be much the best for all vegetarians to take the 
vegetables containing the greatest amount of albumin in this 
form, as it is otherwise, i.e., in the leguminous vegetables, only 
very poorly assimilated, so that much of it is unavoidably lost. 
Some of the vegetables which are eaten without the shells — 
peas, for example — are better assimilated, but lentils and beans 
less so. The latter had much better be taken mashed into a 
puree. Soy beans are also good when prepared in this way, 
and would prove a valuable addition to a vegetarian diet. In 
the vegetarian restaurants which claim to furnish a nourish- 
ing menu — not always a very sensible one, as one so often 
finds — such purees of leguminous vegetables should be a daily 
item of the bill of fare. 

It would, moreover, be advisable that sufficient quantities 
of albumin-containing foods, such as leguminous vegetables, 
mushrooms, etc., be regularly included among those constitut- 
ing a vegetable diet. For old, weak people, or those subject 
to flatulence, the only resource would be some nutritious prepa- 
ration made from albumin-containing vegetables — such as 



342 Health Through Rational Diet. 

sarton, which is made of soy beans, or roborat, prepared from 
the albumin of wheat. Small quantities of these substances 
will furnish as much albumin as is contained in much larger 
amounts of cereals or bread. 

The albumin-containing cereals in general should be very 
well represented in the strictly vegetarian diet not only on 
account of the albumin, but because of the high carbohydrate 
content. In the diet of the unscientific vegetarian — unfor- 
tunately such ignorant procedures are the rule — the albumin 
and carbohydrate content is not considered, and both of these 
substances are insufficiently represented. Even at best, this is 
still the case with the albumin; therefore, correspondingly 
greater amounts of carbohydrates should be absorbed. Cereals 
can be used to meet these requirements, but not in the form of 
a coarse, whole-wheat, or graham bread, so often furnished in 
vegetarian restaurants; fine wheat bread should be used 
instead. For a meat-eater, or even a person living upon a 
diet consisting of milk, eggs, and vegetables, the coarser bread 
would be better adapted, as it contains more of the nutrient 
salts and also more cellulose. The vegetarian already ingests 
a plentiful supply of the latter, and what he requires is more of 
nutritious substances, which will be furnished by the otherwise 
prohibited fine wheat bread. 

Oats would be a practical food for strict vegetarians, but 
should be used in a form in which the albumin and carbohy- 
drates can be assimilated — especially in the case of old and 
weak persons — e.g., in the form of one of the prepared oat 
foods, such as Knorr's preparation or Quaker oats. All other 
similar carbohydrate-containing foods, such as rice, buckwheat, 
etc., would also be very beneficial, because the portions which 
are difficult to digest — the husks — have been removed. They 
are more readily assimilated in this form, and the nutritive 
value is also increased. This is, of course, of great importance 
in a vegetable diet, which is less nutritious than any other. 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 343 

Tapioca, sago, rice, and similar aliments containing carbohy- 
drates, but poor in cellulose, should always be abundantly 
represented in any form of vegetable diet. 

The dishes prepared from a mixture of fine wheat meal 
and potato flour, so frequently eaten in Austria-Hungary and 
used in another form for breakfast in America, are also very 
advantageous. In the last-named country they consist often 
of a kind of gruel made of wheat (cream of wheat) or of 
oats, and also include cakes of wheat, buckwheat, or corn flour 
which resemble our pancakes. The Americans eat with these a 
syrup (maple syrup) made in Canada or Vermont from the 
sap of the maple tree. With us such a breakfast would be 
especially useful for vegetarians, and in this way one would be 
sure of having an appreciable quantity of carbohydrate in the 
food. As the maple syrup is difficult to obtain here, one might 
use with the cakes a syrup made of cane-sugar, like that which 
comes from Java (the Gula Java of the Malays), or honey, 
which is similar to these syrups. Their use has the advantage 
that the nutritive value is increased by the sugar contained in 
them. Some fat had best be used with these cakes ; and since 
the strict vegetarian abjures animal fats, the best varieties of 
vegetable fats — those containing the least of the fatty acids — 
such as fine olive oil, palm oil, etc., should be used. In fact, a 
certain amount of fats is quite as necessary in a vegetable diet 
as the carbohydrates, albumin being so very poorly represented. 
With green vegetables, including salad (best mixed with 
vinegar), a good proportion of fat can be absorbed, and fat- 
containing fruits and nuts — such as the fatty groundnuts 
(Arachides) which come to us from the Congo, Brazil, etc. — 
may also be used. Naturally, these must all be very carefully 
masticated, as they are not very digestible owing to the high 
fat content. 

In the way of fruit the disciples of a strictly vegetable 
diet should give the preference to the very nourishing dried 



344 Health Through Rational Diet. 

fruits, — although they are rather hard to digest on account of 
the increased proportion of raw fiber. In regard to difficulty 
of digestion, dried bananas — such as are imported from Suri- 
nam by Abraham Diirninger in Herrenhut, and which are 
much used in Holland — form an exception. I frequently eat 
them myself in the summer months when I live upon a vege- 
table diet, and find them easy to digest and very nutritious. 
As has already been stated, bananas contain but little cellulose ; 
the drying process greatly increases the sugar content, so that, 
although the starch content of the fresh ripe banana is only 
16.20 per cent., dried bananas often contain 70 per cent, of 
sugar or sometimes even more. Figs and dates, English 
walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts, etc., and fresh fruits should 
always be represented in the dessert taken by vegetarians. 

The menu of the strict vegetarian should thus rationally 
be so combined that at the principal meal, after a vegetable 
puree soup, some albumin-containing food such as mushrooms 
or some leguminous vegetable (best in puree form) should be 
taken, together with green vegetables combined with some 
vegetable fat; next either tapioca, sago, or rice, etc., then 
pastry or cakes, and afterward nuts and dried or fresh fruits. 
As a dessert, in order to increase the nutritive value of the 
diet, some chocolate might also be taken, — this best in the form 
of the fat-containing Giandujas of Turin, which readily melt 
in the mouth, or some other form of cream chocolate. In con- 
formity with the physiology of digestion, sweets, when eaten 
alone, should always be taken at the end of a meal. After the 
repast a cup of caffeine-free coffee may be taken. For break- 
fast the flat cakes or the various gruels made of cereals, with 
honey and fruit, % are indicated as the principal components of 
the meal, and for the evening repast albumin-containing vege- 
tables, green vegetables, and other starchy foods, together 
with fruit, should again be taken. 

Menus in the vegetarian restaurants should likewise be 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 345 

made up according to the rules given above. A great draw- 
back in this connection is the fact that motives of economy 
prevail in these establishments. The main object seems to be 
the giving of as much as is at all possible for at most i mark 
(25 cents) or for 70 or 80 pfennigs (18 or 20 cents). That 
food of the very best quality is consequently not the rule is as 
regrettable as it is easily understood. When the true vege- 
tarian, owing to the inferior quality of the food, thus absorbs 
even less of nutritious substances than he would otherwise 
have, he is even more exposed to undernutrition. It would be 
very advantageous if in all large cities vegetarian societies or 
clubs were formed which would build and control restaurants 
of this kind. In Manchester, England, a splendid example of 
such a society exists, which does very excellent work; it is 
materially assisted by benefactions from those interested in its 
success. It is greatly to be regretted that we do not here also 
have some wealthy vegetarians who would construct such 
vegetarian restaurants in the interests of the public welfare in 
general. Establishments of this kind should also be founded by 
persons dying without heirs, and who wish to perpetuate their 
names by some benefaction which would help to> prolong the 
life of many. In this way vegetarianism could prolong life, 
but only when practised upon scientific lines. The greatest 
prospect of a prolonged existence is, however, only afforded 
by the milk-egg-vegetable diet, which we shall now discuss. A 
strictly vegetable diet as above described may be continued for 
weeks, or perhaps even months, by some persons — and by some 
women of a certain constitution and build even longer — but the 
majority of average individuals often suffer from intestinal 
disturbances and stomach affections — very frequently over- 
acidity. These results, as well as nervous affections, then 
render a change of diet imperative. 



346 Health Through Rational Diet. 



3. The Special Advantages of the Milk-Egg- 
Vegetable Diet. 

It would not be difficult for us to prove that the milk-egg- 
vegetable diet is the most rational for man, especially for the 
adult. When near, the age of puberty, the addition of a certain 
quantity of meat would be advisable for reasons which have 
already been given. 

That the milk-egg-vegetable diet is that best adapted for 
man is shown by the fact that each one of the principal com- 
ponents of which it is made up, i.e., the milk, the eggs, and 
the vegetables, plays a most useful part in our nutrition. Their 
useful properties have already been treated at length. The 
best feature of such a method of feeding is that each of the 
three foods is possessed of advantages, but of no evil effect. 
To live upon milk alone would be difficult as well as inade- 
quate, even if very large quantities were taken; the same 
remark applies to vegetables. When, however, eggs are used 
in conjunction with milk and vegetables, a very substantial 
diet is obtained, and as I have noticed in my patients, and like- 
wise with myself, one can gain considerably in weight when 
living upon such a diet. When i J / 2 liters of milk are taken per 
day an average of about 60 grams of albumin is received; 2 
eggs added daily to the milk will raise the albumin assimilated 
to 70 grams; if 4 eggs are taken, one will have obtained a 
fully sufficient quantity of albumin. I have myself lived upon 
such a milk-egg-vegetable diet for several months, and got on 
very well indeed with 70 grams of albumin, although I was 
taking considerable exercise at the time. I have also observed 
that a diet of milk and eggs and plenty of carbohydrates has a 
tendency to accustom one to thrive on a rather smaller amount 
of albumin. 

There is probably no other diet which contains less of 
substances which are injurious for our various organs. The 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 347 

milk diet is the least injurious. Both milk and eggs do not 
form any uric acid, nor do they contain any injurious extractive 
substances. The same is the case with most of the vegetables, 
especially those which are 'richest in starch, such as rice, 
tapioca, sago, etc. The majority of ripe fruits, with the ex- 
ception of those containing considerable amounts of oxalic 
acid, are also free of injurious substances. In order to carry 
on such a diet in a rational manner, it would be necessary to 
take, as a basis for it, 4 or 6 eggs daily, with some cheese. At 
each meal, or at midday and in the evening, 2 eggs should be 
taken, with milk and cheese, and perhaps for breakfast 1 of 
the pancakes previously referred to — made of various kinds 
of flour — with honey or some fruit syrup; fresh fruit at every 
meal; fresh fruit for breakfast, and both cooked and fresh 
fruits at dinner and supper. I also consider it very beneficial to 
eat, during several days, fruit only at the evening meal; this 
might also be done on certain days of the week instead of on 
successive days. For such a meal the most nourishing foods 
would be dried fruits, bananas, St. John's bread (the dried 
fruit of the locust tree — which must be thoroughly masti- 
cated), figs, dates, nuts, with dried currants and raisins (thus 
mixed they taste very good), almonds, and particularly pista- 
chio nuts, which are the most easily digested of the oily nuts. 
In winter the fat-containing nuts and fruits are best; on hot 
summer days principally fresh fruits should be taken — cherries 
in the spring and early summer, grapes in the autumn, and in 
midsummer apples, pears, and plums. 

I particularly advise the taking of plenty of fruit because, 
among all our foods, with the exception of milk, this food is 
the only one which we take just as it was made by the Creator, 
without any cooking or the addition of other substances. In 
this way all of the natural properties remain undisturbed. We 
must here emphasize the fact that many of the important fer- 
ments contained in various foods are destroyed in the prepara- 



/ 



/ 



348 Health Through Rational Diet. 

tion of the latter, so that we lose all of their effects. As, how- 
ever, many of the fresh fruits contain rather too much acid, 
which has an injurious effect upon some persons, dried fruits 
or those containing but little acid when fresh, such as bananas, 
dates, etc., should be taken when considerable quantities are to 
be eaten. A healthy stomach and intestine is required, and 
then bread, butter, and cheese, with fresh and dried fruits, will 
furnish a good and healthful meal. 

There is no diet which will as certainly preserve good 
health or which will so effectively favor a return to health as 
the milk-egg-vegetable diet, scientifically employed. With no 
other diet can so much be done to keep the blood-vessels in 
good condition, and to insure a proper composition of the 
blood and its adequate circulation. Such a diet would be the 
very best in arteriosclerosis, but here not more than I liter of 
milk divided into several portions must be taken. According 
to my experience with a large number of patients, there can 
surely be no better mode of nutrition than the above, and all 
of my liver patients — without exception — had a better color 
and looked much more healthy after two or three weeks of 
such a diet. I wish to call attention to the fact that particularly 
in cases of gallstones it gave very good results, especially be- 
cause the functions of the bowels were perfectly carried on. 
The advantages of this diet in such affections reside in the 
fact that the lactic acid fermentation (I prefer to give sour 
milk, jogurt, and kefir in such cases) brings about antisepsis of 
the intestine and prevents the development of injurious bac- 
teria, so that infection of the gall-duct — the principal factor in 
inflammation of the gall-duct and the disease above mentioned 
— is more readily prevented. Plenty of grapes taken with such 
a diet gave excellent results in gall-stone disease, in my experi- 
ence. That it is also very beneficial in gout is self-evident, but 
vegetables containing purin bodies — of which a list is given on 
page 361 — should as far as possible be avoided. Chiefly the 



Vegetarianism, Advantages and Disadvantages. 349 

ripe acid fruits should be used. In renal calculi consisting of 
uric acid a diet of this sort also has an excellent effect; when 
there are phosphatic stones it should, on the contrary, be 
avoided. For diabetic patients it is an ideal diet, but a milk 
without sugar, like the Gaertner preparation, should be used, 
and the fruit be carefully selected and taken only in modera- 
tion. In obesity it is likewise an excellent regime; the quan- 
tity of milk must however be decidedly diminished, and the 
butter and oily fruits and nuts must be eliminated. Owing, to 
its favorable action upon injurious bacterial intestinal flora, 
such a diet would be beneficial in intestinal affections, with a 
careful selection of the vegetables and fruits to be taken. In 
constipation it would prove a sovereign remedy which would 
after a short time render all medicines superfluous. In many 
cases of neurasthenia and hysteria it would give brilliant 
results, if the foods giving the greatest number of calories 
were selected. Since such a number of diseases are benefited 
by this diet, healthy persons should profit even more from it. 
Indeed, after having personally tried the various modes of 
diet during a certain length of time, having first eaten a great 
deal of meat and then only once a day ; again for a time only 
vegetables, then principally milk, then chiefly fruits, I came to 
the conclusion — after observations made upon others as well 
as upon myself — that a milk-egg-vegetable diet is the best and 
at the same time the most rational for mankind. 



V 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF RATIONAL 
FEEDING. USEFUL HINTS. 

I. Foods Easy and Difficult to Digest. 

There are persons who can, as it were, digest pebbles, 
while others no less healthy may suffer from indigestion after 
taking even the most easily digested foods. There is probably 
no other organ as capricious as the stomach. We shall not 
attempt here to deal with the nervous influences and idiosyn- 
crasies affecting the stomach, but shall discuss only such dis- 
turbances as are caused by the food itself. In order that food 
may be easily digested, it must be in such a form as will permit 
of thorough action upon it by the gastric and intestinal juices; 
thus, a gelatinous substance like a pickled fish jelly is very 
easily digested. When, however, there is much connective 
tissue, as in an old chicken, digestion is more difficult; the 
tough, hard meat of old animals, which has so much connective 
tissue, is much more difficult of digestion than that of young 
animals. Lean boiled ham., being so free from connective 
tissue, is not only easily digested by the stomach, but by the 
intestine as well; the digestibility of a food depends not only 
upon the readiness with which it is tolerated by the stomach, 
but also by the intestine. Hard-boiled eggs are digested with 
difficulty by some stomachs, and are better assimilated in the 
intestine. Calves' brains are readily digested in the stomach, 
but less so in the intestine, since, according to Rubner, about 
43 per cent, of such brain substance remains unassimilated. 
(350) 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 351 

The connective tissue in meat corresponds with the cellu- 
lose in vegetables. A fine starchy food without any such 
material, e.g., tapioca and sago, does not impose any labor on 
the stomach when well masticated, as it is not digested there ; 
such a food does remain in the stomach for some time, but is 
only really made use of when it reaches the intestine. Thor- 
ough mastication, as already stated, is a prime necessity with 
starchy foods. A ripe banana is one of the most easily digested 
foods, when carefully masticated with the aid of plenty of 
saliva. It is advisable to allow such starchy foods to remain 
in the mouth for a short time, during which they should be 
moved about with the tongue and then be carefully chewed. 
When hard, dry foods containing much cellulose — such as 
the cereals, dried tubers, dried pears, or the black bread of the 
peasants — are taken, they not only remain a long time in the 
stomach, which must work hard to digest them, but are besides 
poorly assimilated in the intestine. We have mentioned on 
several occasions how much of certain foods remains unutilized 
during intestinal digestion. It is not our purpose to deter 
healthy persons from taking such foods, for it is, on the con- 
trary, not inadvisable occasionally to eat small quantities of 
them. Unfortunately, the poor are obliged to eat them daily — 
without, however, actually ruining their health thereby. 

In addition to the connective tissue and cellulose content, 
fat — especially lamb- and beef- fat — also interferes with diges- 
tion, particularly when it surrounds the more easily digested 
substances. Fat lamb is very indigestible. Dishes prepared 
with beef-drippings, so much used in England, are likewise not 
at all easily digested. Goose-fat is that which melts most 
readily, and butter comes next. Fine olive oil is well adapted 
for cooking ; foods prepared with it are not indigestible. Fatty 
fruits and those containing cellulose, such as hazelnuts and old 
walnuts, are hard to digest. 

The large amount of free fatty acids and pungent sub- 



352 Health Through Rational Diet. 

stances contained in some foods, and the acids, tannin, and 
ethereal oils of certain fruits, may all interfere with the diges- 
tion. Following is the list prepared by Penzoldt showing the 
digestibility of various foods : — 

Foods Remaining in the Stomach About Two Hours: 

100 to 200 grams of drinking-water ; 

220 grams of carbonated water; 

200 grams of coffee, tea, beer, bouillon, light wine; 
100 to 200 grams of milk; 

100 grams of soft-boiled eggs; 

About Two to Three Hours : 

200 grams of coffee with cream, or milk cocoa; 
300 to 500 grams of water, milk, or beer; 

100 grams of raw, hard-boiled, or fried eggs; 

200 grams of cooked sweetbreads, carp, pike, or cod (including 
dried cod) ; 
72 grams of cooked oysters; 

150 grams of boiled asparagus or potatoes, mashed potatoes, cher- 
ries (raw or steamed) ; 
70 grams of white bread or biscuits; 

About Three to Four Hours: 

230 grams of cooked chicken or partridge; 
220 to 260 grams of cooked squab ; 

195 grams of squab, boiled or steamed; 
250 grams of boiled beef; 
160 grams of raw or boiled ham; 

100 grams of roast veal (hot or cold), beefsteak, roast beef; 
200 grams of boiled salmon; 
72 grams of salted caviar; 

150 grams of black or brown bread, spinach, or kohlrabi, carrots, 
cucumber salad, apples. 

We may select our foods from the above list according to 
the condition of our stomachs, always giving the preference to 
those articles most easily digested. For, as was said by a 
Frenchman : "On ne vit de ce qu'on mange, mais de ce qu'on 
digere." (One does not live by that which one eats, but by 
that which one digests.} 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 353 

2. Foods Causing Flatulence. The Prevention and Dietetic 
Treatment of Flatulence. 

By flatulence we mean the formation of gases in the intes- 
tine. They are formed by the action of bacteria upon the resi- 
due of the food which has been absorbed, and particularly upon 
the cellulose contained therein; the latter is then split up into 
volatile fatty acids (butyric acid, acetic acid) and into gases 
(carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane). The more cellulose 
there is contained in the food, the more there is usually elimi- 
nated as residue, thus facilitating the production of such 
cleavage products. Consequently, a diet rich in cellulose will 
form much gas. This may be noticed when leguminous vege- 
tables, especially beans, have been eaten; cabbages also pro- 
duce the same effect, on account of the cellulose and sulphur 
contained in them. Black bread, e.g., rye bread, also causes 
considerable flatulence. 

On the other hand, a diet which forms but little residue 
may also produce gases when certain bacteria have been intro- 
duced with it. Unclean water, previously in contact with a 
slimy river-bottom, will often cause discomfort by colic and 
the formation of gas. I myself noticed this during my stay 
in Toronto, in Canada; on drinking the water of the large 
lake, I was constantly troubled with gases and colic. The 
same was the case soon after, when I was in Detroit and drank 
the water from Lake Michigan. In both these places I ex- 
perienced no such trouble when drinking pure mineral water. 

Mineral waters which are badly bottled, so that unclean 
substances are mixed with them, may give rise to the same 
symptoms. It is necessary, for this reason, to make a careful 
selection from among such waters. Above all, it is necessary 
that the authorities should make a thorough investigation of 
every mineral spring of which the water is universally used, 
as well as of the bottling plants. Impure milk, made so by 

23 



354 Health Through Rational Diet. 

secret dilution or the inadvertent admixture of any unclean 
substance, will very frequently cause the development of gases. 
Flatulence may also be noticed when large quantities of good 
milk are taken. 

Flatulence very readily occurs when the residue of the 
food remains too long in the intestine. The longer the feces 
are retained in the intestine, the longer the bacteria act upon 
them, thus causing fermentation and decomposition. The 
greatest number of bacteria is found in the colon, and the feces 
contained therein form the most favorable nidus for them. 

A plentiful meat diet also favors the formation of gases 
when the former contains much connective tissue, since, owing 
to the large quantity of meat and the resistance offered by the 
connective tissue, the digestive fluids are not able to fully digest 
it, and a considerable portion remains to be subjected to the 
action of the bacteria in the colon. The longer it remains there, 
the more gases may be formed. In order to prevent the forma- 
tion of gases it is important that the feces be expelled from the 
intestine as soon as possible. Constipation must therefore be 
avoided. The means for its avoidance will be considered else- 
where. 

Persons having a tendency to flatulence should avoid 
foods which contain much residual matter, such as beans, len- 
tils, and the cabbage varieties, in which not only the cellulose, 
but also certain other components, viz., sulphur compounds, 
cause the formation of gases. In the diet of such persons all 
indigestible foods should be avoided and care be taken that the 
diet be so composed that its greater portion be absorbed in the 
upper intestine, so that a very small quantity will be subjected 
to the action of the bacteria. Especially in the case of aged 
persons should a careful choice of foods be made, as in them 
the intestines are relaxed and dilated, and the residue is apt to 
be retained in the bowel for a longer time. We are thus, to be 
sure, placed in a dilemma, as when the food contains too little 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 355 

refuse matter the residue will for this reason remain too long 
in the intestine. Such feces, however, are not apt to cause 
flatulence. We must consequently endeavor to steer between 
two cliffs. 

The foods causing* the most flatulence, such as leguminous 
vegetables, cabbage, black bread, etc., must of course be elimi- 
nated from the diet, and when necessary milk must also* be 
forbidden or only allowed in small quantities. Care must also 
be taken that its origin be irreproachable. A diet easily 
digested must be adhered to; it may be composed of tender 
meat, ham, eggs, rice, tapioca, sago, fine white bread, zwieback, 
etc. Potatoes are only allowed when mashed, as fried or 
roasted potatoes give rise to flatulency. Bread made with a 
sour dough should be avoided, as in this way large quantities 
of bacteria are introduced. Whatever might cause fermenta- 
tive processes must be usually avoided. Beer especially is 
forbidden. Tea or even a little red wine might be used to 
advantage. 

In the dietetic 'treatment of flatulence a principal factor 
is the avoidance of foods containing much residue. Although 
such a diet is useful in persons subject to this disturbance, it is 
not indicated for those in good health, as it may give rise to 
constipation. The formation of a small amount of gas is not 
to be regarded as an evil, since it materially aids the movement 
of the bowels and the ejection of their contents. It is only the 
presence of excessive flatulence which should be combated, 
especially when diseases exist in which the raising of the dia- 
phragm must be prevented, as in heart affections. In many 
cases of arteriosclerosis flatulence, which is frequently present, 
gives rise to troublesome effects. The best treatment for flatu- 
lence consists in the rational diet above described. The best 
preventive measure in conjunction with the same would be that 
all of the food, and especially the vegetables and other cellu- 
lose-containing substances, be most thoroughly masticated, in 



356 Health Through Rational Diet. 

order that no undigested portions reach the intestine, and there 
form a nidus for the development of some of the countless 
bacilli which are ingested from the air or with the saliva or in 
the foods themselves. 



3. Laxative Foods. 

When one subsists — as do so frequently the well-to-do 
classes, living in luxury — on chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, 
the finer grade of green vegetables, fine pastry, and white bread, 
it is not a matter for surprise that such persons usually suffer 
from constipation. Their diet contains practically nothing 
capable of exercising the least stimulation for the movement 
of the bowels. The result is the daily use of medicines and 
the development of a more and more stubborn constipation. 
The inhabitants of Carlsbad should be thankful to all such 
people, for it is they who so greatly swell the number of 
visitors to its springs. Once their condition is improved they 
soon fall back into their former error, which is truly a human 
failing. 

In this respect the working classes are better off. Their 
diet, which consists largely of leguminous vegetables and black 
bread containing much residue and cellulose, frees them of this 
accompaniment of wealth ; they are rarely troubled with it, and 
in those practising vegetarianism it is practically unknown. 
They have plenty of bowel movements — too many, in fact; so 
they really represent the other unpleasant extreme. The 
middle way is always the best, i.e., a diet containing a sufficient 
quantity of residue — though not too much of it — and capable 
of insuring the assimilation of sufficient food while the bowel 
movements can occur without trouble. 

A diet rich in residue contains much cellulose ; many green 
vegetable (fungi) fruits, many of the leguminous vegetables, 
and some cereals furnish such a laxative diet. Among such 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 357 

are spinach, carrots, green beans, sauerkraut, and the cabbages ; 
the leguminous vegetables — beans, peas, lentils — oat and rye 
bread (black bread), dried fruits, plums, cherries, grapes, pine- 
apple, etc., all act upon the bowels. In the vegetables it is 
not only the cellulose content, but also other substances con- 
ducive to fermentation and the formation of gas, which excite 
the intestine to increased activity. In fruits the high sugar 
content and the organic acids are active in this respect. We 
have fully described the special action and properties of these 
foods, and must now refer the reader to the respective chapters 
concerning them. Care should be taken to have certain fruits 
and other foods well represented in the diet. At breakfast, in 
the spring, a certain quantity of cherries, all the year round 
honey, and certain fruit marmalades may be used. Among the 
latter, according to my experience, pineapple, fig, and orange 
marmalade, plum butter, etc., exert a good action. At noon, 
spinach or some others of the above-mentioned vegetables; 
every day, both at noon and in the evening, stewed fruit, such 
as rhubarb, cherries, grapes, figs, or dried plums. On retiring, 
fresh cherries, when they are to be had ; otherwise, 4 or 5 dried 
California prunes, previously soaked three to four hours in 
water, so that the skin may be removed before they are eaten. 
With a good digestion they may be eaten with the skins, as 
they are then even more active. On rising, a glass of cold 
water, and, a little later, 1 or 2 fresh oranges. Before break- 
fast, y 2 or 1 orange or a grapefruit (pampelmus). The drink- 
ing of milk — from healthy cows — and especially of sour milk, 
kefir, and jogurt, may also give excellent results. Plenty of 
exercise is a requisite. As we thus see, there are so many 
dietetic agents that recourse to injurious medicinal substances 
is unnecessary. The feces consist largely of residues which 
excite the intestines ; if we wish to have the bowels moved, we 
must ingest in our food, as mentioned above, a sufficient quan- 
tity of slags or residue. 



358 Health Through Rational Diet. 

4. Remarks Concerning the Prevention and Dietetic Treatment 
of Gout. List of Foods Forming Uric Acid. 

When anyone has eaten plentifully of meat during many 
years, he can very easily become gouty. Indeed, among such 
persons, especially those who lead a sedentary life and have 
inherited a predisposition to this trouble, very many will be 
found suffering from gout. It is, of course, true that one may 
ingest daily large amounts of uric-acid-forming foods — among 
which meat is one of those heading the list — without becoming 
afflicted with gout, provided the kidneys carry out their func- 
tions properly. As I have stated in my earlier works, gout is 
the result of two principal factors, the first being a diseased 
condition of the kidneys, with consequent lessening of their 
functional activity, and the second an increased formation of 
uric acid in the body or greater intake of this substance in the 
food. Retention of uric acid in the body through diminished 
activity of the kidneys is thus the cause of the disease. The 
alterations in the kidneys may be of a secondary nature, result- 
ing from primary changes in the thyroid gland, — in which 
connection it should be noted that the thyroid gland itself may 
be a predisposing factor in gout, inasmuch as when this gland 
is degenerated more uric acid may be formed and gouty symp^ 
toms occur with great frequency ; while, on the other hand, the 
administration of thyroid preparations in these conditions, as 
I have often had occasion to observe, will cause an increased 
elimination of uric acid. The liver also plays an important 
role in the development of gout. A considerable amount of 
uric-acid-forming substances may be taken with impunity when 
they are properly eliminated, that is to say, when the kidneys 
are active. Where this is not the case, however, one may have 
an attack of gout when but very little of the uric-acid-forming 
substances have been taken, and in some instances a gouty 
attack may even occur when no such substances have been 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 359 

taken; this would be due to an increased formation of uric 
acid in the body, — the "endogenous" uric acid. This is fre- 
quently the case in lead poisoning and in all conditions where 
nuclein-containing substances are destroyed in the body. 

From the above it follows that the action of the kidneys 
should be favored and improved in every possible way ; this is 
especially necessary in advanced age or when old age is ap- 
proaching, with the changes in the kidneys and ductless glands 
in general frequently occurring at this period, and explains the 
great prevalence of gout in the aged. In these cases all sub- 
stances having an injurious effect upon the kidneys — especially 
condiments — must be eliminated from the diet. We would call 
attention to the chapters in which this subject has been dis- 
cussed in our work on "Old Age Deferred." We might here 
mention that strong spices will sometimes give rise to an at- 
tack of gout in gouty patients. The activity of the kidneys 
may, in addition to a milk and vegetable diet, be further in- 
creased by certain diuretic mineral waters, such as the Salvator, 
Biliner, Contrexeville, Evian, Giesshubler, Krondorfer, etc. 
All the uric-acid-forming foods, i.e., those with purin bases in 
general, must be excluded from the diet. Meat in particular, 
and especially that of glandular organs such as the pancreas 
(sweetbread), liver, kidneys, etc.; also certain varieties of fish 
and leguminous vegetables, beans especially, and all spices, 
should be prohibited. Alcohol must be strictly avoided; like- 
wise tea and coffee, as the latter, according to the labors of 
Haig, Walker Hall, Umber, Schittenhelm, and others, contain 
considerable quantities of uric-acid-forming substances. The 
milk-egg- vegetable diet (together with exclusion of leguminous 
vegetables) is thus the best for the prevention and treatment 
of gout. Milk and its products, most varieties of cheese, eggs, 
caviar, cereals, various flours, with the exception of that of 
oats — as oats contain purin bases, 0.02 1 per cent, in the flour — 
and also a large number of green vegetables, are all free of 



360 Health Through Rational Diet. 

purin bodies or contain them only in small amount. This may 
be observed in the subjoined list; gouty patients should there- 
fore, if possible, limit themselves to the foods above named. 
I might still add, however, that, as I have already stated in 
earlier works, there is probably a difference between animal 
and vegetable purin bases in regard to their effects in the body, 
just as vegetable albumin causes less secretion of sugar in dia- 
betes than the animal varieties. Fish would no doubt be better 
tolerated than meat. A list of various foods and their content 
of purin bases, after Bessau and Schmidt, is on the next page. 
As with tea and coffee, alcohol should be only very 
sparingly used by gouty patients even in the intervals between 
the attacks. A light white wine would, however, not be in- 
jurious. While the stronger varieties of wine may in certain 
quantities bring on mild attacks, one is not insured against 
them even when the greatest moderation is exercised. Natu- 
rally, the danger is increased if one is imprudent in the matter 
of eating and drinking. Thus, Sydenham, "the English Hip- 
pocrates," spoke truly when he said : "When you drink wine, 
you get the gout; when you do not drink it, you also get it." 

5. Practical Hints for the Prevention and Treatment of 
Obesity. Dietetic Measures. 

In order to fatten a goose it is kept in a dark place, in a 
small cage in which it cannot well move about, and stuffed 
with food, a procedure which is resorted to in Alsace, Belgium, 
etc. In some places they even go so far as to fasten down the 
feet so as to prevent all motion. Geese treated in this way get 
very large, and the liver especially becomes exceedingly fat. 
When anyone eats a great deal, particularly. of very nourishing 
substances — as is the case with geese, which absorb fats, car- 
bohydrates, and albumin in their corn, and these substances are 
better assimilated than is the case in man — he will grow fat. 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 



361 



In 100 grams of 



Beef 

Veal 

Lamb 

Pork 

Boiled ham 

Brunswick sausage . . . 

Blood pudding 

Brain 

Liver 

Kidneys 

Calves' sweetbread 

Chicken 

Squab 

Goose 

Venison 

Pheasant 

Bouillon, 100 grams of 
beef, boiled two hours. 

Fish. 

Haddock 

Eel , 

Cod 

Salmon 

Carp 

Perch 

Pike 

Herring 

Trout 

Sprat 

Sardine 

Lobster 

Oysters 

Kaviar 

Hens' eggs 

Milk and Cheese. 

Milk 

Edam cheese 

Swiss cheese 



m « 03 

go.o 

2 %£ 



0.037 
0.038 
0.026 
0.045 
0.025 
0.010 

0.028 
0.093 
0.080 
0.330 
0.029 
0.058 
0.033 
0.039 
0.034 

0.015 



0.039 
0.027 
0.038 
0.024 
0.054 
0.045. 
0.048 
0.064 
0.056 
0.082 
0.020 
0.020 
0.029 



In 100 grams of 



Limburger 

Gervais 

Cream cheese 

Milk cheese 

Leguminous Vegetables. 

Fresh peas eaten with 

pods 

Peas 

Lentils 

Beans 

Vegetables. 

Cucumbers 

Salad 

Radishes 

Cauliflower 

Spinach 

White cabbage 

Carrots 

Kale 

Rampion 

Kohlrabi 

Celery 

Asparagus 

Onions 

String beans 

Potatoes 

Fungi. 

Boletus bulbosus 

Cantharellus infundibuli- 

formis 

Mushrooms 

Morchella elata 

All fruits 

Cereals 

Bread 

Pumpernickel 



i 



O O"" 



traces 

0.005 
0.022 



0.027 
0.018 
0.054 
0.017 



0.003 
0.005 
0.008 
0.024 



0.002 
0.011 
0.011 
0.015 
0.005 

0.002 
0.002 



0.018 

0.018 
0.005 
0.011 



0.003 



362 Health Through Rational Diet. 

This can be avoided, however, by taking plenty of exercise, 
and it is not very likely to occur when there is not a predis- 
position to becoming stout. The foods which contain a great 
deal of fat not inclosed in cells, but free and ready to be 
absorbed, are those which chiefly increase the body fat, such 
as butter, oil, etc. The carbohydrates, sweet foods, candies 
and sweets of all sorts, are also> fat producers, because large 
quantities of sugar are absorbed in them. In pastry and 
farinaceous foods this is especially the case when they can be 
readily absorbed like tapioca and sago>, in which the absorption 
and the taking up into the blood are not interfered with by any 
cellulose. The fat formation is increased when carbohydrates 
and fats are taken together, and particularly when in combina- 
tion with alcohol. Obesity is sure to occur when plenty of 
meat is also used. When only a small quantity of meat or of 
albumin is taken, obesity is not apt to occur. True vegetarians 
scarcely ever grow fat, but this is more likely to occur, accord- 
ing to my experience, when a milk-egg-vegetable diet is used. 
No matter how large the quantity of meat, it will probably not 
cause excessive fat; on the contrary, with a diet consisting 
largely or, rather, almost entirely of meat, a decrease of fat 
will occur, as is shown by the obesity cures. When, on the 
other hand, there is a sufficient quantity of meat, viz., albumin, 
in the diet, and plenty of starchy foods and fats are also taken, 
then obesity is apt to occur. This shows that the quantity of 
albumin, especially that contained in meat and eggs, must be 
diminished in the diet. When little meat is eaten, more car- 
bohydrates, i.e., farinaceous foods, may be absorbed. Other- 
wise, they, and especially milk, cheese, fatty foods, and butter, 
are strictly to be avoided. Sweets and alcohol are never al- 
lowed. The carbohydrates may be preferably given when 
ingested in foods containing much cellulose, as, for instance, 
the leguminous vegetables, as they are then not so well assimi- 
lated. In order that there shall be no hunger, and consequently 



Practical Advantages of Rational Feeding. 363 

no desire for more nutritious foods, it is customary, at the 
beginning of the treatment of obesity, to allay the hunger by 
such foods as contain but little carbohydrate and plenty of 
cellulose, and are likewise bulky, such as sauerkraut, certain 
kinds of fruit, all vegetables, rye bread, and pumpernickel. In 
this way the patient lives upon foods which are not fat pro- 
ducers, and yet has plenty in the stomach. The best dietetic 
treatment as well as the most certain preventive of excessive 
fat is, in my opinion, a diet of this kind, without milk or eggs. 
If this diet is not helpful, as in cases where there is a constitu- 
tional obesity, due to alterations in the thyroid gland, the 
ovaries, or other ductless glands, either acquired or inherited, 
then the best treatment is by means of tablets of thyroid extract 
and, in the case of women, ovarian extract as well. When the 
obesity is due to overnutrition I have often seen good results 
after treatment with thyroid extract, which is, in my opinion, 
the most satisfactory in obesity. According to- my many 
observations — even some upon myself — I do not consider it 
at all injurious, if the patient is carefully watched by a physi- 
cian who is familiar with the effects of ductless-gland prep- 
arations. 



6. Concerning Fattening Foods. Fattening Treatment. 

When anyone wishes to grow stout he will do' well to 
ignore all that has been said in the preceding article on obesity. 
That which principally causes obesity will be well adapted for 
him. Milk and, particularly, cream and butter are easily 
digested and readily assimilated fatty foods. In my own ex- 
perience I can say that I have not met with a single case in 
which I was not able to increase the weight of the patient when 
using large quantities of the good rich milk which I have at my 
disposal here in Carlsbad, together with cheese and an ample 
quantity of meat and carbohydrates. 



364 Health Through Rational Diet. 

Rich milk is well adapted for a fattening treatment, and 
is best when mixed with cream, as I am in the habit of doing ; 
I also order cream to- be taken with zwieback, and plenty of 
butter on white bread or zwieback, — also 4 to 6 eggs daily; fat 
meats, such as goose, duck, pork, and fat chickens — when two 
kinds of meat are eaten at midday, the lean meat should be 
first eaten and afterward the more fatty one — together with 
tapioca or rice. For those who are fond of potatoes, they may 
be prepared as a schmarren, then some flour food with plenty 
of sugar and cream ; ^ of a liter of dark Bavarian beer or a 
little sherry, port, or Malaga wine (such patients are often con- 
valescents after some exhausting disease, or persons predis- 
posed to tuberculosis, etc.)- Instead of beer or wine, milk 
would be more healthful and fattening. To improve the taste 
of the milk, and make it even more fattening, the yolk of 
an Qgg and two teaspoonfuls of cream may be added to each 
glassful. I find it very advantageous when a handful of 
raisins or currants and 1 or 2 pieces of dried banana are taken 
after the midday and evening meal. They are readily toler- 
ated and very fattening. 

From 1 to iy 2 liters of milk and y 2 liter of cream should 
be taken daily in the manner above described. At each meal 
plenty of butter should be eaten, and at noon and in the evening 
cream cheese (Gervais). In persons who tolerate milk well, 
fattening treatment is invariably successful when a combina- 
tion of foods as described above is made use of daily. In the 
intervals between meals it is not advisable to take anything 
except milk, perhaps mixed with a little cream, and a single 
piece of zwieback. I lay great stress upon the use of raisins, 
dates, figs, or dried bananas, and chocolate at the end of the 
meals. I find that dried currants and seedless raisins are better 
tolerated than the other dried tropical fruits, except perhaps 
the banana. Little exercise should be taken, but the patients 
should be in the open air (in the shade) as much as possible. 



CHAPTER VII. 

HINTS FOR THOSE OBLIGED TO TAKE THEIR MEALS IN 

RESTAURANTS. THE INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF THE 

"TABLE D'HOTE" DIET. 

He who, like the author, is, as a bachelor, so unfortunate 
as to be obliged always to eat in restaurants, and during the 
winter when on long journeys must visit the hotels of various 
countries, can surely expatiate on his experiences. It is not at 
all surprising that bachelors, as I have already stated in my 
book on "Old Age Deferred," are doomed to a short life, for, 
as we shall now see, they are subjected to a series of injurious 
experiences which may be of considerable importance. That 
cats and dogs must masquerade as rabbits and other game in 
the diet list is in itself repulsive enough, and leaves an un- 
pleasant after-taste in the mouth of the lover of legitimate 
game, but the nutritive value of the meat itself is not dimin- 
ished for those who are subjected to this martyrdom of the 
unfortunate animals. When this sort of "game" is fresh and 
is well prepared, and does not have a sauce made with bad, 
rancid butter, no damage will, as a general thing, result for 
the stomach and intestine of the consumer. We have, how- 
ever, already referred to the fact that injurious effects may 
follow after eating the meat of animals having become satu- 
rated with secretions thrown out through fright previous to 
the death of the animal. 

That the meat of such animals is actually made use of in 
the kitchens of establishments of a very inferior order — and 
sometimes even in those of a rather better grade — in many 

(365) 



366 Health Through Rational Diet. 

large cities is proven by the court trials, when such "hunters" 
are captured with the products of their chase — dead cats and 
dogs — which they have in their bags and are offering for sale 
(as I recently read in a foreign newspaper). It is, indeed, 
much better when we simply devote our attention to our food 
without attempting to study details as to its origin. I greatly 
fear that not only I, but also a great many others, would then 
be minus their psychic gastric juice, and the food would conse- 
quently lie longer and heavier on our stomachs. With very 
sensitive and nervous persons the food would leave the stomach 
by the way it had entered, if its origin and consequent treat- 
ment were to be made known to them immediately after its 
ingestion. How fortunate it is that we are kept in ignorance ! 
The poet says: "Der Mensh versuche die Gotter nicht und 
begehre nimmer zu schauen, was sie gnadig bedecken, mit 
Nacht und Grauen." (Man must not question the gods and 
ask to see that which they have kindly covered with the shades 
of night.) What would many a delicate and fastidious lady 
say if she knew that the most juicy and fragrant strawberries 
are those which have been grown when the very fattest cow- 
dung and perhaps even human excrements — as is done in some 
European countries — have been spread over the strawberry 
beds ? When the rain falls the salts contained in this manure 
are carried into the earth, to be again taken up by the straw- 
berries, which thus develop into the very finest berries. 

As stated in the Holy Scriptures, even in the matter of 
human foods, the lowest shall become the highest, and when 
we eat the meat of a well-fattened ox we absorb from this 
meat the salts which the animal obtained from the vegetable 
food eaten by it ; the plant again thrives best upon the manure 
furnished by the evacuations of animals and of man, and by 
the excrements of birds — sent from Chili and Peru. The meat 
of the fat pig is also formed from substances with which we 
had better not busy ourselves too much. Nothing is lost in 






Hints for Those Taking their Meals in Restaurants. 367 

this world, and there exists an everlasting circle which carries 
the salts coming from man into the earth, from the earth into 
the plant, and from the plant again to man, either directly or 
through the intermediary of the ox or the sheep. 

While therefore for esthetic reasons we would do better 
not to enter too deeply into the question as to the remote 
material of which our food is composed, we nevertheless have 
every reason, in consideration of our health, to acquaint our- 
selves as far as possible with the food substances furnished to 
us and prepared in the restaurant kitchen. We will proceed 
most safely if we give the preference to such foods which show 
by their appearance just what they are, viz., meats roasted 
upon the spit, or, at all events, such as are not covered by a 
crust or a thick sauce in order to hide their defects. It is 
impossible to say what may be beneath such a crust or thick 
cream sauce in certain restaurants of a very low order, or what 
kind of meat has been used in some of the dishes in which it 
is very finely chopped. Very often one fares badly with the 
sauce or gravy which covers the meat, and it not infrequently 
happens that in some of the cheapest places the butter used for 
cooking is not irreproachable ; rancid butter gives rise to many 
digestive disturbances. It is easy to understand that the pro- 
prietor, who must also make some profit, cannot, when the 
meal is furnished at a very low price, provide the best and most 
expensive foodstuff's. Especially when traveling, and at large 
public festivals where many thousands of people frequent the 
restaurants, it frequently happens that the health is seriously 
affected by defective foods. It is therefore wiser to provide 
one's self with the necessary food at some familiar place and 
to eat this fresh and cold. It is usually much the best plan to 
eat at some well-known restaurant, and where one is also 
known ; one should as much as possible eat in the same estab- 
lishment, and not change about from place to place. In 
Austria-Hungary one generally finds very good cooking every- 



368 Health Through Rational Diet. 

where; the coffee especially is always good. This, unfor- 
tunately, is not the case in Germany, owing to the fact that 
in that country it is the custom to take the meals at a fixed 
price, whereas in Austria-Hungary one almost always eats 
a la carte, selecting what one wishes and having it freshly pre- 
pared. The bills of fare in Germany frequently consist of 
large quantities of meat, but its quality as well as that of the 
rest of the foods in the beer taverns often leaves much to be 
desired. In the wine restaurants in Germany the food is ex- 
cellent. What is to be done, however, by those who do not 
wish to drink wine? Fortunately, we are not thus compelled 
to drink wine in Austria-Hungary. One can eat there at the 
finest hotels and take simply a glass of beer or a small bottle of 
mineral water. Whenever possible, we should not eat food 
which is ready, but should select something which will be 
freshly prepared. 

With regard to some of the vegetarian restaurants I can- 
not, according to my personal experience, give a very good 
account. Their device, unfortunately, seems to be "cheap and 
plenty." The result for the stomach, may be imagined. In 
Germany especially it is very difficult to find in certain cities 
a vegetarian restaurant of a finer class where the above prin- 
ciple does not seem to be the chief one. The fault, to be sure, 
does not lie with the restaurant, but with the public. For as 
long as vegetarianism continues to be principally followed by 
the poorer classes it will be difficult to establish first-class 
vegetarian restaurants with a selection of finer vegetarian 
foods, choice fresh vegetables and fruits. It would be well if 
the owners of vegetarian restaurants would first have to pass 
an examination in cooking; in fact, this should be required 
of all hosts by the authorities. In vegetarianism a thorough 
knowledge of the science of cooking is a prime requisite ; other- 
wise, the nutritive content of the foods will not be properly 
made use of. In the large German cities there are some really 



Hints for Those Taking their Meals in Restaurants. 369 

good vegetarian restaurants. I found one of this kind in 
Leipzig (Pomona), where the cooking is very good; the same 
may be said of the Pomona restaurants in Holland, with one 
of which, that at the Hague, I am familiar. In Belgium there 
is also a series of good vegetarian restaurants, but the finest 
and most luxurious vegetarian cuisine is to be found in London 
and Manchester. 

When we consider what great damage may be done in 
regard to public welfare by restaurants of an inferior order — 
leaving aside the question of the often very insanitary build- 
ing conditions — it would certainly be justifiable to have all 
restaurants inspected once or twice a year by an authorized 
commission, an arrangement which would probably not be 
objected to in the least by establishments of the better classes. 
It would be of the greatest benefit for the public health if the 
authorities would look strictly into the question as to* what 
really is brewed in the "witch kitchens" of the lowest order for 
the poor, hard-working people. Since such a commission 
exists for the inspection of drug-stores, in order to test the 
remedies which are sold to the sick, I see no reason why it 
should not likewise be seen to that nothing which would impair 
the health should be sold to those who are well. In this con- 
nection, I am especially desirous of calling attention to the 
serious injury which may be done to our health when falsified 
foods, sometimes containing strong injurious drugs, are put 
before us. The food chemists, by revealing these frauds, are 
rendering incalculable service, and we are surely not saying 
too much in stating that the average length of life of the people 
depends in great measure upon them. I would again partic- 
ularly emphasize the fact — as I have already done several 
times in this work — that the deleterious effects of these injuri- 
ous, falsified foods do not at once become evident — and this 
is just the source of the danger — but slowly and stealthily cause 
degeneration of some of our principal organs, especially the 

24 



370 Health Through Rational Diet. 

kidneys, thus shortening our lives. And what of the punish- 
ment for such an offense ? It is ridiculously slight. 

When anyone does a person an injury he is frequently 
punished by imprisonment during a number of months, but 
when anyone injures not only one but a very great number of 
persons — and this in an underhand way — by means of spoiled 
and falsified foods preserved with injurious substances, in such 
a manner as to undermine the health for months and perhaps 
even years, and thereby shortening life, he is punished in 
Austria-Hungary by a fine of ioo kronen! And yet several 
crimes are here combined: premeditated, underhand bodily 
injury; deceit, falsification — all with the object of gain — and 
this not only in respect to one person, but to innumerable 
people. The proper punishment for the falsification of foods 
would be an average of the punishments meted out for the 
various crimes above mentioned. 

The owners of eating-houses and restaurants are, to be 
sure, helpless in the hands of these falsifiers. The best remedy 
would be the enactment of a law making it obligatory to state, 
in regard to every food substance : ( I ) whether it is abso- 
lutely pure; (2) what admixtures it contains, and, if possible, 
also the quantity thereof. The substitution of one food for 
another and the selling under a false name should also be 
prohibited. 

Eating in restaurants may also have an injurious effect 
because very often too many foods are offered, especially at 
"table d'hote" meals with a long menu. In hotels of an 
inferior order it not infrequently happens that on the menu 
meats are served which were left over from the previous day. 
Even in the very finest hotels the "table d'hote" with its end- 
less menu is always a serious danger for the health, even 
when the foods are well prepared and the taste is good — in 
fact, perhaps for this very reason. There are, unfortunately, 
very few persons having sufficient strength of will not to eat 



Hints for Those Taking their Meals in Restaurants. 371 

a series of good appetizing foods placed before them, especially 
when they have "paid out their good money." When anyone 
lives in a fine hotel on the Riviera and is given for lunch 2 or 3 
dishes of fish and meat, and for dinner in the evening 3 or 4 
kinds of fish and meat, very often including some game (even 
in the spring), it can readily be understood how greatly all the 
principles advocated in this work are being sinned against. 
That such unrestrained "rapacity" does actually shorten life 
when long continued is not to be doubted. It is therefore 
indicated to eat a la carte, a habit which is fortunately quite 
general here in Carlsbad, and in fact throughout Austria- 
Hungary (with the exception of the Tyrol). In selecting from 
the bill of fare, everyone can take just such food as is best 
adapted for his constitution and his health in general. 

Even in the very finest restaurants one will often not dine 
as well as at home, when one has the good fortune to be 
married and when the housewife herself selects the very best 
and freshest foods in the market, which are then prepared for 
the family table with the most healthful and best adapted acces- 
sories. The above remarks go to prove the correctness of the 
statement made by the author in his work on "Old Age 
Deferred," that a married man will live longer and remain in 
better health than a poor bachelor. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE INCREASED ACTIVITY OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS 
BROUGHT ABOUT BY FOOD. 

i. Concerning the Increase of Intellectual Activity Brought 
About by a Suitable Diet. 

That the intellectual capabilities of man are greatly in- 
fluenced by his food is a truth which probably cannot be dis- 
puted by anyone. We see this exemplified in those aggrega- 
tions of people who nourish themselves in a sparing and 
penurious way, and whose intelligence consequently remains 
of an inferior order. The natives of the Bismarck Archipelago 
and of the Solomon Islands furnish an instructive illustration 
of this fact. As Thurmwald has recently stated in the 
Zeitschrift fiir Ethnologie, they probably stand on the lowest 
plane of intelligence. Some of them are not even able to count 
up to twenty. They are so helpless that they would prefer to 
walk around a piece of wood happening to lie in their way than 
to move it away. According to Thurmwald, they show a 
remarkable slowness in thought association and are totally 
lacking in prudence or foresight. Their food consists princi- 
pally of taro, a starchy flour on the order of manioc. 

When, on the other hand, we consider the people who live 
upon an ample mixed diet, with plenty of nitrogenous foods 
and much meat and fish — like the English and Americans — 
we find them on the average of a high degree of intelligence, 
many of them being remarkably gifted : they are possessed of 
a wealth of creative ideas and practical inventions, with an 
initiative such as is perhaps not possessed by any other nation. 
(372) 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 373 

We may involuntarily ask ourselves, Does not this perhaps 
depend upon a difference in the food ? Does not, perhaps, the 
quantity of nitrogen absorbed in the nourishment, which is so 
poorly represented in the diet of the native tribes referred to 
above, cause this difference? If we consider the experiments 
of Forster we must reply in the negative. This observer fed a 
dog upon meat which had been thoroughly soaked in water, 
together with plenty of carbohydrate and fatty foods, from 
which the nutritive salts had been carefully extracted. Not- 
withstanding the fact that the nutritious substances, strictly 
speaking, were not lacking in this food, a great falling off of 
the intelligence together with other symptoms of degeneration 
were noticed in this dog, although he had been having plenty 
of nitrogen. 

Something was missing in the food — and this was the 
nutrient salts! We must consequently ascribe the striking 
deterioration in intelligence noted to the absence of the nutri- 
tive salts. The question then is : Which of the salts is respon- 
sible for this ? It is evident that, in the presence of alterations 
of the functions of the brain, we must have to deal with a 
salt which exists in considerable quantities in the brain, for — 
as has been said so often in this book — like begets like. If we 
wish to stimulate the activity of certain organs we must — as 
is done when fertilizing plants — administer those salts which 
are contained in it and which it requires. The most important 
of these salts are those containing phosphorus and lime, — 
especially the first named, for with it the lime content can be 
influenced and increased. That the amount of phosphorus con- 
tained in the brain plays an important role in the development 
of mental affections we have already mentioned. In idiocy 
and in dementia prsecox Marie found a decrease of the phos- 
phorus in the brain. It is a fact of the greatest importance 
that the portion of the brain which plays such an important 
part in the intellectual processes, the gray matter, yields, in the 



374 Health Through Rational Diet. 

ethereal extract made from it, more phosphorus than the 
white; Petrowsky also found in it double the amount of leci- 
thin. Lecithin, as is well known, produces glycerin and 
phosphoric acid when decomposed. Phosphorus is absorbed 
with lecithin, and the brain substance is rich in phosphorus and 
lecithin. 

It is also an observation of great significance, with regard 
to our powers of resistance, that wherever there is an undue 
elimination of phosphorus nervous and even mental disturb- 
ances occur. In some cases, as, for instance, in osteomalacia, 
the condition can be improved by the administration of phos- 
phorus, which has a favorable effect upon calcium metabolism. 
If in some instances the administration of phosphorus produces 
no effect, this must be attributed to the fact that, while it does 
act favorably in making up for the deficiency of phosphorus, 
another factor which is likewise of the greatest importance, 
viz., increased activity of the thyroid gland, which regulates 
phosphorus metabolism, has not been taken into account. That 
a pronounced lack of phosphorus in their food is responsible 
for the very low grade of intelligence exhibited by the natives 
of the Bismarck Archipelago — for their principal food, taro, 
contains very little of this substance — is, according to the 
above statements, not unlikely, just as the great intelligence 
of the English and Americans may be ascribed to the large 
amount of phosphorus contained in their food (they eat meat 
three times a day, together with much fish, eggs, and green 
vegetables). The frequency of gout also stands in relation to 
this diet. That food which contains the greatest amount of 
phosphorus is also the one which is rich in nucleins — uric acid 
producers. Animal foods are not only rich in these substances, 
but more organic phosphorus is also absorbed from them than 
from a vegetable diet, since in the latter the phosphorus, owing 
to the large lime content, is eliminated in an insoluble form 
from the intestine. 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 375 

We must not flatter ourselves in the belief, however, that 
we grow in intelligence when we eat much meat, small fish, 
eggs, etc. The matter in question is not quite so simple. The 
effect as far as we are concerned would be about the same as in 
a bottomless barrel. We might take any amount of phos- 
phorus, and it would simply pass through our bodies without 
our deriving the least benefit from it, if it were not retained 
by certain organs. One such organ which has — as we have 
already shown — a governing influence upon the metabolism 
of phosphorus is the thyroid gland. For the subject in ques- 
tion it is of importance to note that the intelligence of a person 
depends upon the perfect action of this organ, as I have already 
shown, in my work on "Old Age Deferred," by means of a 
series of experiments. Suffice it for me to state here that 
when the thyroid is degenerated the intelligence is considerably 
impaired, or, indeed, is entirely lacking, as in the cretin. When 
such individuals are treated with thyroid extract, and when a 
plentiful diet is also taken, the intelligence is greatly improved ; 
in fact, wonders may be performed in this direction. I am of 
the opinion that thyroid treatment improves the intelligence 
because through its agency the phosphorus taken in with the 
food can be better assimilated. This opinion is undoubtedly 
fully justified, according to the above statement, as we know 
that the thyroid gland regulates phosphoric metabolism. 
Moreover, I have generally found evidence of a much better 
assimilation of phosphorus in analyzing the urine of persons 
treated with thyroid extract. That the metabolism of calcium 
is also increased is shown by the astonishingly rapid growth of 
previously stunted children. They develop 'both in body and 
in mind. I have also noted in adults — in myself for instance, 
as I state in the work already named — a very striking effect 
upon the intelligence, and the memory in particular, when 
thyroid extract was being taken. Among the cases in which I 
observed this effect I would like to cite that of a chemist, 35 



376 Health Through Rational Diet. 

years old, who while being treated in this way, in addition to 
showing various other indications of an improved memory, 
was able to recollect the word "Penthatlon," which he had 
been trying in vain to recall during many years. The well- 
known experimenter with thyroid extract, Hertoghe, observed 
similar effects upon himself when following such a treatment. 

In consideration of all that has been said above, and in 
Chapter I, section 2, and Chapter II, section 2, we are driven 
to the conclusion that the intellectual capacity of man may be 
increased (1) by taking as much as possible of foods rich in 
phosphorus, and (2) by exercising care that the thyroid gland, 
upon which the proper use and assimilation of the phosphorus 
are dependent, may be able to carry on its functions in a normal 
manner. According to the labors of Cronheim and Miiller, 
Schaumann, and others, the organic phosphorus compounds 
are best adapted for this purpose — especially the nuclein- 
phosphorus-containing foods, as has been shown by O. Loewi, 
Schaumann, and Jebbink. It is of primary importance, how- 
ever, that these foods be intelligently prepared, and not soaked 
or boiled out through overcooking at a long-continued high 
temperature, and in this way or by pressure, etc., deprived of 
their important nutritive salts. We have already shown how 
very harmful this is. The foods rich in phosphorus have 
already been mentioned. 

The activity of the thyroid gland may be effectually 
stimulated by following certain dietetic regulations which have 
already been referred to. We shall merely mention here that 
a certain amount of meat in the diet may act in this way; 
roast meat is preferable to that which has been robbed of its 
extractives. Several other hygienic rules having nothing to do 
with the question of diet, and likewise the stimulation of the 
activity of the thyroid gland by extracts of the same gland 
obtained from animals, have been emphasized in our above- 
mentioned work. Great care must be exercised in such treat- 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 377 

ment, however, for if the thyroid gland becomes overactive 
much damage may be done. When, too, this gland is not func- 
tionating adequately, certain precautionary measures must be 
observed, for which the reader must be again referred to my 
work on "Old Age Deferred." 

The activity of certain other ductless glands which also 
greatly influence the phosphoric metabolism, i.e., the sexual 
glands, must likewise be regulated. When alterations have 
occurred in these glands, psychic disturbances will frequently 
fje observed, as at the age of puberty, in pregnancy, and at the 
period of the climacteric. I would also call attention to the 
very frequent psychic disturbances in diseases of the ovaries, 
after castration, and particularly the melancholia of the cas- 
trated male, in varicocele, etc. As mentioned in my above- 
named work, I found a goiter coexistent in several cases of 
melancholia and dementia praecox, as well as alterations of the 
thyroid and sexual glands. This summer I had occasion to 
observe a very interesting case which I shall publish in detail 
later on. The patient was a 14-year-old French boy suffering 
from obesity and defective development of the testicles; he 
weighed 74 kg. He had the appearance of a eunuch, and his 
intelligence was somewhat impaired — apathetic. The testicles 
could scarcely be felt, and there was almost no hair on the 
pubis or on the lip. I first treated him with thyroid, and after- 
ward with testicular extract. The result was surprising. The 
boy grew several centimeters in height, hair appeared upon his 
lip and over the pubis, the testicles grew larger, and erections 
took place at night and also during the day, while previously 
there had not been the slightest symptom of any sexual im- 
pulse. He was made a man ! The intelligence was developed 
to such an extent that he wanted to read all day long and 
interested himself in problems of all sorts. 

That the intelligence is greatly influenced by the sexual 
organs has been demonstrated in our above-mentioned work, 



378 Health Through Rational Diet. 

in which the inferior mental attributes of eunuchs were com- 
pared with those of celebrated men like Goethe, Victor Hugo, 
and others, who had a decided predilection for the fair sex. 
Since thus the sexual glands also exert a governing influence 
upon the phosphoric metabolism, we are forced to conclude 
that their influence upon the intellect takes place just through 
this action upon the phosphoric metabolism, a fact which will 
probably not be disputed by anyone. The hypophysis prob- 
ably also exerts a considerable influence on the phosphoric 
metabolism, as shown by the works of Moracewsky and others. 
The increased intelligence cited by various authors as occur- 
ring when there is overactivity of the hypophysis — in patients 
suffering from acromegaly — is remarkable. 

As a result of the facts submitted above and in Chapter 
I, section 2, and Chapter II, section 2, I am led to a therapeutic 
conclusion, which, owing to its astonishing reach, I advance 
with considerable diffidence, viz., that if certain mental dis- 
eases, in which very frequently no anatomical changes are 
noticeable, are caused by a more or less defective phosphorus 
metabolism! — which according to the above statements appears 
to be the case — one could, by the administration of a great 
deal of nuclein-phosphoric acid in the food, together with 
a treatment with thyroid — ovarian or testicular extracts, 
according to the nature of the case — cause a very great im- 
provement and possibly a complete recovery. Indeed, the 
administration of thyroid and ovarian extracts in certain 
mental affections has already caused a decided amelioration of 
the symptoms. I have myself seen such results in several cases 
of melancholia. When in other cases, however, no successful 
results were obtained, this might perhaps be ascribed to a 
defective diet. It seems therefore to be indicated that a con- 
siderable quantity of phosphorus be administered, together 
with these organic preparations. Certain cases of polyneuritis 
and epilepsy have lately been published in which the adminis- 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 379 

tration of phosphorus was attended with beneficial results. 
Lecithin (Buchmann) has a similar effect, as it causes the 
retention of phosphorus, as was shown by Slowzoff (and con- 
firmed by Joshimoto) . Such favorable results would no doubt 
also occur in mental diseases, if phosphorus and organic prep- 
arations were simultaneously administered. 

2. Hints Concerning the Diet of Brain Workers. 

When Albrect von Haller, the great physician of the 
eighteenth century, was for a time subsisting upon a strictly 
vegetarian diet, he felt great muscular weakness, a decided 
depression of spirits, and was unable to do any mental work. 
(As a proof of Haller' s intelligence, I would call attention to 
the fact that at the age of 5 years he was explaining the Bible 
to his father's servants, and at 12 years wrote a Greek gram- 
mar.) Results similar to the above are often noticed. Per- 
sonally, I experienced the same effects after a long-continued 
vegetable diet. Undernutrition often leads to excitability of 
the nervous system — many cases of nervousness, neurasthenia, 
and hysteria are improved by a plentiful diet — and the disin- 
clination for mental labor may perhaps be due to this. Accord- 
ing to the statements in the previous chapter, the lack of 
phosphorus may possibly be the chief factor in such conditions, 
since the nervous system cannot properly carry out its func- 
tions without a sufficient quantity of phosphorus. As already 
stated, the phosphorus of animal origin is better assimilated; 
in a vegetable diet much of it is lost in the intestine. Fish is 
preferable to meat, since, according to the recent works of 
Slowzoff, the salts are more readily absorbed from it and the 
phosphorus content in the body is therefore increased. Up to 
the present the impression has prevailed that the amount of 
phosphorus in fish is small ; but when we study the analyses of 
Balland and Jebbink, it will be seen that some quite small fish 



380 Health Through Rational Diet. 

have a particularly high phosphorus content. According to 
Balland, fried gudgeons contain more of it than perhaps any 
other food substance, the natural substance containing 0.82 
per cent, of phosphorus and 0.90 per cent, of phosphoric acid ; 
thus more than twice the amount in meat. The same is the 
case in some other fish varieties, according to Jebbink. The 
experiments of Schmidt and Bessau also show that the smaller 
fish have a high nuclein content and consequently contain much 
phosphorus. Leguminous vegetables and cereals are likewise 
rich in phosphorus — according to Balland, they surpass many 
of the small fish in this respect — but a considerable portion of 
this substance passes through the intestine unused when a pure 
vegetable diet is partaken of. There is probably no article of 
food poorer in phosphorus than the fine white bread SO' much 
used by the wealthier classes, and Aron and Hodgeson have 
shown that monkeys gradually weaken and die upon such 
a diet. The same was the case with the animals of Forster, 
Eickman, Axel Hoist, and others when fed upon food lacking 
in phosphorus. We must not imagine, however, that an un- 
talented writer will become a Victor Hugo if he continually 
feeds upon fish, eggs, meat, and cheese and leguminous vege- 
tables in particular, since the intellect does not only depend 
upon this, but also' upon the condition of certain organs which 
exert a great influence upon the phosphorus metabolism. The 
American humorist, Mark Twain, wrote to a young writer of 
average capability — who had asked his opinion in regard to 
some of his writings — that he would do well to eat a whale 
every day, by which means he would become a celebrated 
author, since it was said that a fish diet had a stimulating effect 
upon the mental attributes. 

At all events, a fish diet is efficacious in mental labor 
owing to the fact that it is very easily digested ; this is of great 
importance, for after a plentiful meal of meat one feels heavy 
and brainwork is accomplished with difficulty. The same may 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 381 

be said of any very full meal, especially if the food is difficult 
to digest. During the digestion more blood flows to the 
digestive organs — as it does to any organ which is at work — - 
and consequently less to the brain. While an overabundant 
diet may be injurious, an insufficient one is much more so, 
since the quantity and quality of the blood, as well as the cir- 
culation of the brain, suffer thereby. Moreover, a great loss 
of phosphorus always occurs in undernutrition. It will thus 
be readily understood what serious injury is inflicted upon 
growing school children when they are allowed to go hungry. 
When, therefore, the State renders attendance at school com- 
pulsory, it should likewise see to it that every child be prop- 
erly nourished. A starving school child puts the modern State 
administration to shame. When there is a question as to 
who should do without food, it should rather be the father than 
the child who is obliged to study. The poor, hollow-cheeked 
student, who has not enough to eat and who has many difficult 
subjects to study, is one of the greatest reproaches to our 
civilization and culture. If such children were given a certain 
amount of food at the expense of the State, the money spent 
for this purpose would be returned a hundredfold, when we 
consider that in this way very useful citizens would be trained, 
and much money now spent for the maintenance of hospitals, 
workhouses, and prisons would be saved. Unfortunately, so 
many provisos of the modern State government are reparative, 
but not preventive. Millions are spent where as many thou- 
sands would have sufficed if matters had been attended to in 
time. 

By innumerable trials upon cretinous school children, it 
has been made clear that they are markedly benefited by the 
thyroid treatment. Possibly the results would be even more 
satisfactory if phosphorus and lime were to be administered 
at the same time in the food. Such a diet would even be in- 
dicated for normal children, as the physical growth is likewise 



382 Health Through Rational Diet. 

increased by it. As an important constituent of this diet should 
be included bread made from whole wheat, which is more rich 
in phosphorus. The thyroid gland cannot stimulate either the 
intelligence or growth, if there is not at the same time a suffi- 
cient amount of phosphorus and lime in the food. 

The diet of a brainworker should be one adapted to the 
nature of his work. In view of the considerations already pre- 
sented it would perhaps be advisable to make experiments for 
the purpose of elucidating how certain kinds of mental labor 
are affected by various foods. When creative work is to be 
done — the formulating of new, original ideas — a meat and fish 
diet, with eggs, cheese, and green vegetables, might be the 
best. Thus, for musical composers, writers, etc., such a diet, 
with meat and fish once a day, would be indicated, as well as 
for scholars who are endeavoring to elaborate some new 
creative ideas. When it is desired, however, to work un- 
tiringly with a clear head and quiet mind in carrying out the 
details of an already established program, no other diet is so 
suitable as the milk-egg-vegetable one, with meat excluded, or 
a purely vegetarian diet. For a merchant who wishes to specu- 
late or carry out some new undertaking, a diet with meat and 
fish once a day is well adapted. Bookkeepers or cashiers, who 
must work at figures with a clear head, as a mistake made 
might cause great damage, will do well with a vegetable diet, 
and the same will be the case with officials, providing they 
adhere strictly to the one regime. Their industry would 
greatly exceed that of the meat-eaters. Even the "boss" would 
do better on a milk-egg-vegetable diet, and would frequently 
lose less in his speculations and combinations. As an illustra- 
tion of the above in the animal kingdom I would like to mention 
the fact that a hunting dog which must scent out and point the 
game should be given some meat every day in order success- 
fully to perform his task. For the cart-dog, which sometimes 
has to pull about quite heavy burdens, more carbohydrate food 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 383 

is required, although some meat would also be advantageous. 
Physical labor is principally carried on at the expense of the 
carbohydrates, whereas mental work cannot be accomplished 
without a sufficient or rather an abundant supply of albumin. 
According to Pfluger and Rubner, albumin is the greatest 
producer of energy. 

I cannot imagine such a man as Napoleon living upon a 
purely vegetable diet, and I think that everyone will agree 
with me. It certainly was not the case, and he was a very 
impulsive eater. He ate at all hours, and food had constantly 
to be kept prepared and ready for him ; he was most surely not 
a methodical, temperate man, as he might have been upon a 
vegetarian diet, but a true genius! 

From these considerations it follows that for nervous, 
restless persons and for quiet, methodical mental work no diet 
is superior to the vegetarian. For the pursuit of new fields 
of endeavor, the creation of new inventions, etc., this would, 
however, probably not be the case. 

It is exceedingly difficult to generalize, and in this still 
rather obscure field we must be especially careful in coming 
to conclusions. One thing is certain, however, viz., that where 
mental work is to be accomplished moderation in eating and 
drinking is necessary. It would be advisable rather to eat 
more frequently than to wait until ravenously hungry and then 
eat too much, thus rendering one's self heavy and unfit for any 
work. It is best to take a glass of milk, with a little cream 
and the yolk of an egg added ; for when we consider how rich 
in fat the brain (up to 8 per cent.) and the nervous system (21 
per cent.) are, we should — if the principle that for the proper 
functioning of an organ the substances in which it is rich should 
be administered in considerable amounts is correct — take plenty 
of milk, butter, and eggs while mental labor is being carried 
on, since the organs in question contain much lecithin. 

When the milk-egg-vegetable diet — which is in the aver- 



384 Health Through Rational Diet. 



age case the proper one, except under the circumstances above 
mentioned — is used, milk, oatmeal gruel, or some other of the 
breakfast dishes previously referred to, such as eggs, fruit 
(cherries), etc., should be taken. At noon thick vegetable 
soups, eggs, cheese, vegetables, macaroni, milk, stewed fruit 
are suitable ; in the evening, eggs, cheese, vegetables, macaroni, 
or rice. Altogether this gives an average daily of 4 to 6 eggs, 
1 to iy 2 liters of milk, with cheese, macaroni, rice, sago, green 
vegetables, and fruit (nuts, raisins, dates, and fresh fruits). 
When, for the reasons mentioned, a mixed diet is taken, meat 
may be eaten at noon and fish in the evening. As a beverage 
cocoa, which is especially rich in phosphorus, should be used; 
this was the favorite drink of the great Swede, Karl Linnaeus 
(Linne). 



3. The Increase of Sexual Activity by a Specially 
Adapted Diet. 

Since the most remote periods of the existence of man, 
the eating of fish has been accredited with the property of in- 
creasing sexual activity. It was for this reason that the old 
Egyptians forbade the eating of fish by the priests. 1 There 
must be some truth in ihis, since the idea has persisted up to the 
present time. Brillat-Savarin, in expressing his belief in this 
property of fish, cited as an example the notoriety achieved in 
this direction by the members of several clubs the rules of 
which forbade the use of meat and required that fish be eaten 
every day. They acquired the same reputation, says Brillat- 
Savarin, as that enjoyed by Hercules with the daughters of 
Danaus ("elles finirent par donner a eux une reputation sem- 
blable a. celle d'Hercule chez les filles de Danaus ou du 
Marechal de Saxe aupres de Mademoiselle Lecouvreur" 2 ). 

1 Wilkinson : Loc. cit., p. 23. 

2 Brillat-Savarin : Loc. cit., p. 353. 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 385 

He also referred to the story of the Sultan Saladin and the two 
dervishes. As the guests of the Sultan, the latter were served 
with an abundance of meat; he also gave them two odalisks, 
who were, however, unable to seduce them. They escaped 
from this temptation "as pure as the diamond of Visapur." 
When later the Sultan fed his guests for several weeks almost 
exclusively upon fish, they were no longer able to follow the 
example of St. Anthony of Padua. Both of the holy men fell 
victims of a fish diet. Davy 1 also mentions the striking fact 
that fish-eating populations have a very numerous progeny. 
As he says, no other people are their equals in this. 

Other articles of diet, particularly eggs and caviar, are 
also generally supposed to exert a stimulating action upon 
sexual activity. It is customary to say, vox populi vox Dei, 
and as far as foods are concerned I would be inclined to con- 
sider that in the case of such empiric beliefs, which have been 
handed down to us from time immemorial, even medical 
science — which has undoubtedly frequently profited by such 
statements — should not pass them by without notice, as there 
might possibly be something in them. It seems to me quite 
certain that a plentiful diet containing, in particular, much 
protein would have an excitant influence upon the sexual func- 
tion. We are familiar with the fact that the male sexual 
glands, when they are well filled, exert a certain stimulus upon 
the sexual sensory centers. The heads of the spermatozoa, like 
cell nuclei, consist chiefly of nucleoproteids. When a consider- 
able amount of food rich in nuclein is absorbed in the diet, the 
spermatozoa become more numerous and are more apt to exert 
an exciting effect, but when these nuclein bodies are absorbed 
in inadequate quantities it may be assumed that the sper- 
matozoa can only be formed in small number. Our common 
experiences would seem to indicate this, for we know that k 

1 Cited after Pavy. 

25 



386 Health Through Rational Diet. 



rich, plentiful diet frequently increases the sexual impulse, 
while, on the other hand, with poor and somewhat insufficient 
food — especially a strict vegetarian diet — it is usually dimin- 
ished. An interesting illustration of this was witnessed by 
me at Salamanca several years ago, during a journey to the 
International Medical Congress in Lisbon, in the month of 
April. I saw in the streets quite a number of dogs running 
loose; one of them, a female, was following a thin, hungry- 
looking male dog, and although Darwin says that the female 
sex is of a more retiring nature than the male — a fact which I 
ascribe to the necessity of a more careful maintenance of the 
power of reproduction in the sexual organs — this doggie took 
the greatest pains to attract the male dog by resorting to all 
the usual endearments peculiar to these animals; all in vain, 
however, for he failed to carry out his natural duties. This 
starved animal, in which the ribs and in fact all the bones 
could be counted, could not be cajoled into such an expenditure 
of energy, which his miserable food was not capable of supply- 
ing. This was a manifestation of sexual apathy which is not 
often to be noticed in a male dog during the month of April. 

It would appear that with a plentiful diet certain foods, 
such as eggs and fish — as has been confirmed by my own 
observations — have a stimulating effect upon sexual activity. 
Whitteween, who was busy at an educational establishment 
for abandoned young people in Ermeloo, also observed that 
fish, and likewise codliver oil, caused decided stimulation upon 
the sexual function. The question is, then, whether this 
peculiarity of fish does not lie in its chemical composition — in 
some mineral substance which would exert a powerful influence 
upon the sexual organs. Phosphorus would here first invite 
our attention, as it is contained in so considerable an amount 
in these foods. 

Very interesting in this connection is a fact reported by 
Ragner Berg, who found, in the Lahmann Sanatorium 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 387 

"Weisser Hirsch," that lecithin acts as an aphrodisiac; this 
would agree with what we have already stated. 1 If a diet 
rich in nucleins acts as an excitant upon the sexual function, 
this may be explained by the stimulating effect of such a diet 
upon the thyroid gland, for we know how intimate is the 
relation of this gland with the sexual organs. The favorable 
action of the phosphorus and lecithin-containing foods is also 
explainable through their influence in exciting nervous activity. 

We might add, moreover, that truffles are supposed to act 
upon the sexual activity. As Brillat-Savarin says, "elles 
peuvent rendre les femmes plus aimables et les hommes plus 
amoureux" (they make women more amiable and men more 
amorous). Truffles are also very rich in phosphorus, as well 
as in iron. A similar action is ascribed to crabs and lobsters, 
for they also contain much phosphorus. 

Iron, like phosphorus, has a decided influence upon the 
sexual activity. As we stated in our work on "Old Age De- 
ferred," iron influences the formation of blood in a round- 
about way through the ovaries, which, as is now admitted by 
all, greatly influence blood formation. Foods containing iron 
and phosphorus thus appear to have a very favorable effect 
upon sexual activity. The most marked influence is exerted 
by eggs, caviar, and truffles, which all contain much iron, 
though that contained in the last-named is in part very poorly 
assimilated. 

The manner in which Brillat-Savarin treated a Parisian 
who found himself in a state of exhaustion after sexual ex- 
cesses was most original. He ordered that an old cock be 
ground up in a mortar ; 2 pounds of the very best beef, a hand- 
ful of parsley, and 3 turnips, each in a separate pan, were 
boiled for three-quarters of an hour ; then all these ingredients 
were mixed and boiled for another quarter of an hour, a 



1 R. Berg: Congres International sur TAli'mentation, Brussels, 1910. 



388 Health Through Rational Diet. 

little water being added from time to time. Of this strong 
bouillon he ordered that one cupful be taken by the patient 
every three hours during the first day, and afterward one 
cupful every morning for several days. This procedure is 
interesting for the reason that, in the employment of the sexual 
organs of the cock, the principles of organotherapy were re- 
sorted to long before our time. 

Conditions existing in the animal world are also interest- 
ing in this connection. I may mention here that according to 
my observations in England horses were in heat and sexually 
inclined after having eaten the horse-beans which are so much 
used in that country. It is for this reason that the hunting 
horses are there fed chiefly upon oats and are not given any 
of the horse-beans, as they would then become unmanageable 
because of their sexual excitement. Since horse-beans are 
much richer in phosphorus than oats, it may be assumed that 
by a proper selection of foods containing certain nutrient salts 
the sexual activity may be greatly stimulated. 

4. The Dietetic Treatment of Impotence as well as of 
Sexual Apathy and Sterility. 

Although we can, as has already been stated, with con- 
siderable certainty stimulate and increase sexual activity by 
means of a diet rich in phosphorus and iron, this does not by 
any means imply that we can thereby turn an impotent individ- 
ual into a very potent one, any more than we can make a 
sensible person out of a stupid individual by merely adminis- 
tering plenty of phosphorus. The matter is not quite so simple 
as all that. We are able, to be sure, to furnish the necessary 
material for the functioning of the brain and sexual organs in 
the shape of nutrient salts, but the proper assimilation and 
utilization of this material depends upon the activity of the 
thyroid and sexual glands, and possibly also upon the hy- 
pophysis. 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 389 

The last-named organ also stands in intimate relation with 
the sexual glands, just as does the thyroid. If the thyroid is 
degenerated, the sexual organs will also undergo degenerative 
changes, and vice versa. The functions of these organs go 
hand in hand, and we can therefore, by increasing the sexual 
activity, also improve the intellectual capacity, which is greatly 
influenced by the condition of the thyroid and the sexual 
glands. In our work on "Old Age Deferred'' we gave details 
to illustrate how frequently gifted and brilliant men have been 
sexually inclined. When the thyroid gland or the sexual 
glands are degenerated, not much can be accomplished by food 
alone; we must also give the required organic preparation in 
addition, and with this, according to my experience, in cases 
of testicular insufficiency or when alterations not too pro- 
nounced have occurred, very good results may be obtained, 
even in individuals of advanced age. The case of a youth who 
was suffering from testicular insufficiency and presented the 
appearance of a eunuch has already been referred to. When 
we are treating persons in whom the thyroid and sexual glands 
are in such a condition that they may still be enabled to carry 
out their functions — in many old men the testicles are in a 
pretty fair condition — we give the diet especially adapted, i.e., 
fish, meat, eggs, caviar, certain vegetables, fruits, etc. This 
simply results in increased sexual desire, but it is a far step to 
a complete restoration of potency. The potency of a man does 
not really depend upon the degree, more or less pronounced, of 
his sexual impulse, which is certainly an allwise dispensation 
of the Creator, for if the libidinous men were also the most 
potent the human race would surely be threatened with extinc- 
tion. The production of semen may be furthered by a rich 
and properly adapted diet, in case it is not present in sufficient 
quantity in advanced age or after some debilitating disease, or 
when the sexual impulse is impaired. The accomplishment of 
the act itself depends, however, upon the condition of the 



390 Health Through Rational Diet. 

organ involved, which may have undergone certain changes 
owing to diseases such as chronic gonorrhea, prostatitis, vari- 
cocele, etc. These factors have then to be removed. It also 
depends upon the circulation ; there must be a sufficiently high 
blood-pressure so that sufficient blood will be carried to the 
member to enable erection to take place. When too much 
alcohol is taken at a time the blood-pressure is diminished and 
erection cannot occur. The state of the nervous system is of 
primary importance. When too much meat is taken daily, and 
when a person is very nervous, potency may be impaired from 
the fact that ejaculation occurs much too soon; there is then 
a condition of irritable impotency, with which are usually asso- 
ciated augmented sexual tendencies. In such cases the inges- 
tion of meat must be restricted; it would be preferable to 
adhere for a time to the milk-egg-vegetable diet. Men much 
underfed are sometimes the most capable in regard to sexual 
requirements, inasmuch as the act is properly carried out by 
them, although they really have less sexual desire. Insufficient 
nourishment does, to be sure, act as a hindrance, because owing 
to insufficiency of blood no proper erection can take place. 
These facts prove that overnutrition may occasionally prove 
injurious ; under such conditions a diet rich in phosphorus and 
sometimes also in iron is required; in fact, I have frequently 
obtained very good results with such a diet in treating impo- 
tent patients. 

Such a diet — rich in phosphorus and iron — is also very 
necessary in sexual apathy in women. In combination with 
thyroid gland and ovarian extracts, and particularly with the 
aid of the customary mud baths at Carlsbad, Franzensbad, and 
Marienbad, very good results are obtained not only in sexual 
apathy, but also in sterility in women, when this is not due to 
anatomical alterations in the uterus or ovaries. The best 
results are obtained in cases where no apparent anatomical 
changes exist, e.g., those in which there is simply an enfeeble- 



Activity of Functions Brought about by Food. 391 

ment of the ovaries — ovarian insufficiency — as so often occurs 
in chlorosis. Numerous experiments made upon animals have 
afforded clear evidence of the influence exerted by food upon 
their reproductive power, as well as their offspring. 



5. Addendum. Diet to be Used in Sexual Abstention. 

Some persons, by reason of their calling, i.e., the Catholic 
monks and nuns who are bound by their vows, are obliged to 
lead a life of sexual abstemiousness. As has already been 
stated in our work on "Old Age Deferred," this may in some 
persons, although by no means invariably so, cause severe 
injury to the nervous system. Certain precautionary measures 
are therefore necessary, and much can be done in this connec- 
tion by means of a rational diet. Foods containing much 
nuclein and phosphorus, such as meat, fish, and eggs, are to be 
avoided; also certain green vegetables, such as celery and 
asparagus, which, owing to their action upon the bladder, may 
have an excitant effect. Foods having laxative properties are 
advisable, since constipation may have an irritant stimulating 
effect by causing congestion of the pelvic organs. For such 
persons a vegetable diet would be indicated, but, since in sub- 
jects who do not spend much time in the open air — and this is 
particularly the case with many of the inmates of nunneries — a 
strictly vegetable diet may favor the development of tuber- 
culosis, a milk and vegetable diet, with the addition of a 
limited quantity of eggs, would be preferable. It is hardly to 
be supposed that such a moderate addition of eggs could have 
an excitant effect, especially in the case of persons who have 
been trained to such a vocation. The greatest moderation in 
eating and drinking is a prime requisite in combating sexual 
desire, and, as Father Cats remarked: "Die weynigh eet en 
minder drinkt, die is het, die de lusten dwingt." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE INCREASED MUSCULAR POWER RESULTING 
FROM A SUITABLE DIET. 

We have already referred to the astonishing feats of the 
Congo negroes, and would like to cite here the almost unbeliev- 
able achievement of 30 oarsmen who rowed the boat of the 
Commissary-general of the Congo army, Captain Meule- 
meester, 1 on the torrential Eau Blanche, a tributary of the 
Congo, for thirty-six hours, day and night, and this when 
rowing upstream. As food they had only a very young kid 
standing about thirty centimeters high ; they ate this with the 
skin — after burning off the hair — including even the eyes. 
(As we have previously stated, these wild tribes are vegeta- 
rians by compulsion ; when they do occasionally get an animal 
as food, they eat it with the skin and entrails.) During the 
thirty-six-hour journey no habitations were to be seen any- 
where, so that the men were obliged to manage with this very 
limited quantity of food. Among some other strictly vege- 
tarian peoples we also find examples of untiring capacity for 
work, as, for instance, in an Indian tribe the members of 
which carry tourists to the top of the Himalaya mountains, an 
ascent of 17,000 feet, in three and one-half hours. Their food 
is exclusively vegetarian. They live upon dates, rice, chapiti 
(a food made with "gram"), and a small amount of a kind of 
cooked butter (ghee). These people are so thin that they are 
truly "skin and bones," but are so indefatigable on the march 
that they allow themselves but a very short time for the absorp- 
tion of their scanty rations of vegetable food. Notwithstanding 

1 Verbal communication. 

(392) 






Increased Muscular Power from Suitable Diet. 393 

the cold in the high mountain regions, these people go about 
entirely naked, save for a cloth tied about their loins. 

We must not believe, however, that this untiring and 
unusual muscular activity is the result of peculiarities of race 
or climate, for very much the same thing may be observed 
among Caucasians. It is an undisputed fact that vegetarians 
are always ahead in any athletic feats where success depends 
upon the powers of endurance. In bodily exertions where 
great strength is required, as in the lifting of heavy weights, 
etc., this is, however, not the case ; nor would I be able to under- 
stand how this could be possible with their sparing albuminous 
diet. For such work very powerful muscles are required ; since 
these are built up of albumin, large quantities of the latter 
would have to be absorbed, and with a strictly vegetarian diet 
this is impossible. An animal which absorbs plenty of albumin, 
the lion, for instance, can jump over a hedge with a two-year- 
old ox in its mouth, but is unable to carry it very far. An ox 
would not be able to accomplish such a single feat of great 
strength, but it could drag a much heavier load for a consider- 
able distance. In other words, a sudden and single effort of 
strength and energy is best accomplished when albuminous food 
is being taken, while untiring endurance results from vegetable 
food having a great carbohydrate content, which builds up 
muscles such as can be best observed in severe cases of diabetes. 
On the other hand, muscular fatigue, as has been shown by 
Mosso, can be counteracted by the ingestion of sugar. When a 
horse is very much fatigued after a long journey it is greatly 
refreshed and invigorated by sugar. As was shown by Van 
t'Hoff, the breast muscles of pigeons contain more glycogen 
than the liver. This substance thus occurs in the largest 
amounts precisely where it is chiefly required, i.e., in the 
muscles used in flying. During the act of flying the quantity 
of glycogen in the breast muscles is diminished. Moreover, it 
becomes evident, from the results of a series of careful experi- 



394 Health Through Rational Diet. 



merits by Pettenkofer and Voit, that muscular effort does not 
of itself cause a loss in albumin, but that the contraction takes 
place at the expense of the fats and carbohydrates, as was also 
shown by Fick and Wislicenus. Consequently, when work is 
being performed fats and carbohydrates in quantities amply 
proportionate to the labor to be accomplished must be taken in 
combination with a sufficient quantity of albumin, as the work 
is principally performed at the expense of these substances; 
otherwise, the albumin content in the body will be impaired 
and emaciation occur. When plenty of fat and carbohydrate 
is present, the albumin is saved and the work accomplished in 
part by means of the other substances. In the food of the 
negro tribes above mentioned the carbohydrates are well rep- 
resented in the form of bananas, sweet potatoes, and manioc. 
The wonderful feats accomplished by these men are to be thus 
accounted for. A negro carrier of the Zacongo tribe is able, 
for instance, to carry a load of about 37 kilos for eight hours, 
then to climb a mountain 300 meters high still carrying the 
load, and after a rest of one hour take the load up again and 
go on. In animals — horses — the same facts may be observed. 
A horse fed upon plenty of oats will get very tired after having 
run very quickly for several kilometers, while the Hungarian 
horses, fed upon much hay and very little oats, and which often 
do not stand much higher than a large dog, can proceed un- 
ceasingly for many hours. An ox gets food similarly poor in 
albumin, viz., hay, etc., and draws a heavy load for great 
distances. Just as animals require various foods according to 
the work they are expected to do, — the heavily worked horses 
in the mines in the vicinity of Sheffield are fed upon horse- 
beans, oats, and corn in considerable quantities, — so also with 
man the amount and nature of the work to be accomplished 
should be considered in determining his diet. 



Increased Muscular Poivcr from Suitable Diet. 395 



Addendum. Hints Concerning the Diet during Fatiguing 
Journeys, in Mountain Climbing, Rowing, etc. 

From the above statements it will be observed that we 
must provide ourselves with considerable quantities of starch- 
and sugar- containing foods when preparing for a long and 
fatiguing excursion. A sufficient quantity of albumin must, 
above all, not be lacking, for the muscles which are to be in 
action must be supplied with more blood, just as is the case 
with every organ which is at work. For this purpose, and 
for the development of the muscular tissue, which is accom- 
plished through this increased blood-supply, periodically in- 
duced, albumin is necessary. The ingestion of too much meat, 
i.e., albumin, before starting on a climbing expedition is likely 
to prove very injurious, as one will very quickly become over- 
heated and perspire freely, and the feeling of heaviness and 
drowsiness occasioned by this food will also be a hindrance. 
For breakfast some milk, oatmeal gruel, i or 2 eggs, butter, 
fruit, and honey would be most desirable. At noon, no meat, 
but 1 or 2 eggs, cheese, rice, tapioca, sago, fresh or dried fruits, 
chocolate, and milk are indicated, and the same for the evening 
meal. In case there should be no opportunity for going to a 
restaurant during the trip, it is best to take along bread, cheese, 
dates, dried bananas, figs, currants, pistachio nuts, and choco- 
late — all of them foods which take up very little space. We 
should also make it a rule never to walk for more than several 
hours without taking some nourishment. In this we should 
imitate the coachman, who feeds his horses whenever they have 
been on the road for several hours. If our machine, the body, 
is expected to do good work and not run down w r e must fre- 
quently provide it with food the combustion of which renders 
muscular exertion possible. We should consequently eat often 
and avoid the consumption of heavy meals, which are apt to 



396 Health Through Rational Diet. 



cause disinclination for the continuance of the climbing, row- 
ing, bicycling, etc. While the ingestion of a certain amount 
of fluid is advisable, it is best to take fresh fruit — oranges, 
cherries — to quench the thirst. This is the most rational mode 
of satisfying thirst. Even after very fatiguing trips it is not 
well at once to eat meat, but rather rice, green vegetables, salad 
with lemon juice, and fresh fruits. Fruit juices are strongly 
to be recommended, particularly in the summer after one has 
perspired freely. During the trip those juices containing much 
sugar, audi as grape-, cherry-, and agriot- juice, are preferable. 
By personally testing various kinds of nourishment I have 
found that the greatest exertion can be best accomplished upon 
a milk-egg-vegetable diet. On the days when I made the 
longest walking tours, I took much rice, honey, dried fruit, etc. 
Thus, very often on Sunday afternoons I took walks in our 
mountainous region without the least fatigue, once in the 
hours between 2 o'clock and half-past 8 covering the distance 
of 26 kilometers — from Saifenhausel to Barringen (near the 
boundary of Saxony), thence to> Merkelsgriin, Lichtenstadt, 
and Carlsbad, and while on the way spent about an hour in 
Barringen in walking around among the booths at a church 
festival ; only twice during the entire outing did I sit down for 
about twenty minutes. I was not very much exhausted on my 
return home. With a meat diet I could not so easily have taken 
such an extended walk, which is by no means an unusual 
experience for vegetarians. 



CHAPTER X. 
Conclusion. 

THE RELATIONSHIP OF FOOD TO OLD AGE 
AND LONGEVITY. 

Already over one hundred years ago, Villenet 1 made the 
statement, before the Academy of Sciences in Paris, that, while 
among well-nourished rich people there occurred i death in 50, 
among the very poor classes the deaths were 1 in 4. Although 
the sanitary conditions are now greatly improved, it is un- 
doubtedly the case that among the poor — and particularly as 
regards tuberculosis — the number of deaths is much greater, 
and it is probably not to be disputed that this mortality is due 
to insufficient nutrition. As we have already stated, this affects 
the formation ofthe blood and the resistance against infection, 
to which badly and inadequately nourished persons fall prey 
more readily and which frequently leads them to their graves. 
In this, as in so many other respects, there is no difference 
between mankind and animals. On the other hand, we observe 
that persons who take good food but do not overeat may live to 
an advanced age. Brillat-Savarin cites the case of Monsignor 
Belloy, Archbishop of Paris, who was greatly esteemed by 
Napoleon. He had always been a high liver and nevertheless 
lived for nearly a century. Napoleon himself, whose table was 
always spread and who ate whenever he felt so> inclined, was 
not very particular in regard to his food ; he ate poorly and, 
above all, most irregularly. He died at a comparatively early 
age, and who can say whether his tragic fall may not have 
been due to this irrational mode of living and faulty diet, which 

1 Cited after Brillat-Savarin. 

(397) 



398 Health Through Rational Diet. 

was the cause of his gastric trouble and, later on, cancer of 
the stomach. How important a proper diet is for mankind ! 
If Napoleon had done himself as was advised by one of his old 
generals who said : "Hatons-nous de faire battre nos soldats 
pendant qu'ils ont encore le morceau de bceuf dans l'estomac" 
(let us make haste to have our soldiers fight while they still 
have a piece of beef in their stomachs), perhaps the history of 
the world would have taken a different turn. That our con- 
clusions are correct is shown by the evidence submitted in the 
previous chapters. 

Not only may life itself be shortened by a sparing or 
otherwise faulty and insufficient diet, but the condition of old 
age — senility — is brought on long before its time. Moderation 
in diet is a great virtue, but when carried to excess, like all 
other virtues, it becomes a vice. I certainly do not consider 
dieting indicated for a healthy, strong man, and I believe that 
I am correct in stating that persons who do follow such a diet 
often look old in comparison with those who are well nourished 
(though not overfed). Anyone who keeps cats or dogs knows 
that they look much better and more healthy, and are also much 
more lively, when plenty of food is given them. Sensible 
animals, as a rule, do not eat more than they require. I have 
been impressed by the fact that true vegetarians frequently 
present a pale, unhealthy, and prematurely aged appearance. 
This is not surprising in view of what we have already written 
concerning undernutrition, since the latter affects the forma- 
tion of the blood and its distribution to the various organs. 
The nutritive salts are also furnished in insufficient quantities. 
This is especially the case with phosphorus, for when marked 
undernutrition is continued for some time phosphorus may 
even be eliminated. As Albu and Neuberg have so correctly 
stated, and as has also been shown through the labors of Roese 
and several other authors already quoted, mineral substances 
such as lime and phosphorus are very necessary for man ; the 



Relationship of Food to Old Age. 399 

results of deficiency of phosphorus in the food have already 
been fully treated. It is certainly evident that serious injury 
must be occasioned when the necessary quantity of nutritive 
salts is not daily ingested with the food, and in this connection 
it should be remembered that in a one-sided, strictly vegetarian 
diet the assimilation of the salts which have been ingested is 
very poor. When insufficient lime and phosphorus is taken and 
assimilated, or when these substances are withdrawn from the 
food by overcooking or prolonged boiling, the condition of the 
teeth will suffer, just as the blood-supply and nutrition of the 
gums will be affected when the albumin content of the food 
is inadequate, thus giving rise to retraction and atrophy in 
them. This, of course, occurs principally in persons over the 
age of 50, but sometimes begins earlier. It rarely occurs in 
persons living upon a rational diet. When there is overnutri- 
tion, especially when the results of the latter — gout and the 
earlier symptoms of arteriosclerosis — appear, the nutrition of 
the gums often suffers. This may give rise to a loosening of 
the teeth, which may even fall out. Atrophy of the jaws may 
then follow, and the bony structure of the face sink in; this 
shortening may cause the jaws to be displaced inward, thus 
forming a pointed chin. The face then presents a very aged 
appearance. Similar changes take place in the case of the hair, 
which likewise suffers from the insufficient blood-supply; this 
is probably the principal cause of loss of hair when old age is 
approaching. Our various organs and tissues can only be 
nourished by the blood, and if the supply is inadequate they 
are bound to deteriorate. 

The quantity and composition of the blood can be influ- 
enced by food and drink. The latter also affect other important 
organs, viz., the ductless glands, which in turn exert an influ- 
ence on the formation of the blood and the blood-pressure. 
When the food is limited in quantity, or especially when it is 
not suitable and adequate in its constituents, these organs are 



400 Health Through Rational Diet. 



poorly supplied with blood and their activity is impaired ; when, 
on the other hand, the food contains too large an amount of 
certain stimulating substances, such as the extractives of meat, 
long-continued overactivity, giving rise to exhaustion, inac- 
tivity) and degeneration of these very important organs, upon 
which depend the entire aggregate metabolic and nutritive 
processes of all organs and tissues, is the result. In this 
manner, as I have set forth in my work on "Old Age De- 
ferred," age comes on and the span of life is shortened. This 
is brought about by undernutrition on the one hand and over- 
nutrition on the other. Undernutrition prevents young people 
from attaining a ripe old age, and overnutrition carries those 
of advanced age prematurely to their grave. Consequently the 
requirements are: (i) more nourishing food for the young, 
growing organism, and (2) moderation in the succeeding 
periods of life. In childhood and in old age the diet is very 
similar. The aged person can manage well with few calories ; 
if, however, he absorbs too many, especially in such substances 
as will, like meat, impose more work upon his already some- 
what impaired ductless glands, the diminished activity of these 
protective organs will cause the retention of injurious sub- 
stances, and, hence, autointoxication. The milk-egg-vegetable 
diet is consequently not only that best adapted for an old 
person, but also for one of middle age, since by it the ductless 
glands are well protected and kept in good condition until an 
advanced age, thus deferring old age for a considerable time. 
Indeed, we consider this diet as the most rational one for the 
attainment of the longest possible period of life in man, as well 
as for the preservation of the freshness of youth for the longest 
possible time. In the work already named I have cited several 
instances in which men lived to be over 100 years old on such 
a diet. These long-lived persons were, with very few excep- 
tions, very temperate in their eating and drinking. Sir George 
Humphrey, basing himself upon the inquiry instituted by the 



Relationship of Food to Old Age, 401 

British Medical Association with regard to centenarians, 
similarly stated that they were very moderate in regard to 
eating ; the majority took very little meat. Of 38 persons, there 
was only 1 who ate much meat. Very few indulged in alcohol. 
Anyone who is the offspring of healthy parents has it in his 
power to live to the age of 100, if he is temperate in eating and 
especially in drinking. He will have the best prospects for this 
result if he is careful that all food which he eats is perfectly 
fresh, and contains the greatest possible amount of unaltered 
curative substances which have been allotted to it by provident 
Mother Nature for our welfare. The food must also taste 
good. Old Father Cats was more or less right when he said in 
his old Dutch dialect : — 

"Zy bitter of zoet, 
Wat smackt, dat voet." 
("Be it bitter or sweet, 
What tastes good is meet.") 




26 



GLOSSARY. 



Acromegaly. An abnormal development of the extremities. 

Agglomerate. Massed together. Aggregated. 

Albumin. A proteid, animal or vegetable, which is soluble in water 

and coagulable by heat. 
Alexin. Any defensive proteid. 
Alkaline. Having the properties of an alkali. 
Amin. A compound derived from ammonia by the substitution of 

an alcohol radicle for hydrogen. 
Amylopsin. A ferment of pancreatic juice. 
Anemia. Deficiency of the blood in quantity or quality, either general 

or local. 
Arteriosclerosis. The hardening of the arterial walls. 
Assimilation. The process of transforming and absorbing food in the 

organism. 

Basedow's Disease, Graves's Disease. A disease marked by protrusion 
of the eyes, enlarged thyroid gland, anemia, and overaction of the 
heart. 

Beriberi. An East-Indian microbic disease characterized by weakness, 
anemia, dropsy, dyspnea, and paraplegia. 

Buccal. Pertaining to the hollow part of the cheek. 

Caloric. Pertaining to heat or its principle. 

Calorie. The amount of heat necessary to raise 1 kilogram of water 

1° C. 
Carbohydrates. Compounds of water with hydrogen and oxygen, the 

latter being in the proportion to form water. 
Casein. A derived albumin. 

Cellulose. The predominating element of plant-tissue. 
Chlorophyll. The green coloring matter of leaves. 
Cirrhosis. Thickening of the connective tissue of an organ. 
Collemia. A glutinous or colloid state of the blood. 
Creatin. A neutral organic substance that occurs in the animal 

organism, especially in the juice of muscles. 
Cretin. An idiot afflicted with goiter and a deficient development of 

the organism. 
Cryoscopy. Accurate determination of the freezing point of liquids 

and solutions, especially of the body, as blood, urine, etc., for 

clinical study. 

Dementia Praecox. Any form of dementia beginning at puberty and 
marked by negativism, stereotypy, mannerisms, and verbigeration. 
Dextrin. A soluble, gummy substance obtained from starch. 

(403) 



404 Glossary.. 



Dextrose. A sugar of the glucose group. 

Diabetes. The sugar disease. 

Diabetes Mellitus. A disorder of metabolism characterized by chronic 
hyperglycemia and glycosuria on a diet not containing excessive 
amounts of sugar, and associated with polyuria, polydipsia, poly- 
phagia, emaciation, often with dryness of the mouth and skin, and 
sometimes with boils, carbuncles, spontaneous gangrene, loss of 
sexual power, or nervous affections. 

Diuresis. Abnormal increase in the secretion of urine. 

Ductless Glands. Glands without an excretory dact. 

Dulcin. A sweet crystalline substance used as a substitute for sugar. 

Emphysema. A distention of the tissues with air or other gases. 

Endogenous. Originating within the body. 

Epithelium, -lia. Epithelial cells: cells which form the surface of the 

skin, mucous membranes, and line all canals having communication 

with the external air. 

Glucose. Grape-sugar, starch-sugar. 
Gluten. A substance resembling albumin. 
Glycogen. Animal starch found in blood and liver. 
Graminivorous. Feeding on grass and like food. 

Hemialbumose. An albumose that is converted by further digestive 

activity into hemipeptone. 
Hemoglobin. The coloring matter of the red blood-corpuscles. 
Herbivorous. Said of that which eats vegetation. 
Hydremia. A watery condition of the blood. 
Hydrochloric. Consisting of hydrogen and chlorine. 
Hyperacidity. An excess of acidity. 
Hyphomycetes. Mold fungi. 
Hypophysis. The pituitary body, called, more fully, hypophysis 

cerebri. 

Inosite. A saccharine substance in the human body. 
Inulin. A vegetable principle. 

Kefir. A variety of fermented milk. 

Kinase. A substance that converts a zymogen into an enzyme. 

Larvae. Immature form. 

Lecithin. A phosphorized substance occurring widely in the body and 

in plant-tissues. 
Leucocyte. The white corpuscle. 

Maltose. A sugar derived from the action of diastase on barley. 
Metabolism. A change in the intimate condition of cells, constructive 

or destructive. 
Mucilaginous. Like mucilage. Ropy. 



Glossary. 405 



Nidus. A cluster. A focus of infection. 

Nuclein. A nitrogenous constituent of cell-nuclei. 

Nucleoalbumin. A nuclein from cell-protoplasm. 

Nucleoproteids. Any of a class of compound proteids found in nearly 
all cell-nuclei, in protoplasm, etc., yielding, with alkalies, proteid, 
and nuclei acid as cleavage products and by pepsin digestion, true 
nucleins. 

Opsonin. That quality of a serum which makes a microbe more sus- 
ceptible to phagocytosis. 
Osteomalacia. A morbid softening of bone. 
Oxaluria. Presence of calcium in the urine in undue proportions. 

Pancreatin. A ferment from the juice of the pancreas. 

Pellagra. An erythematous skin affection with severe constitutional 

and nervous symptoms endemic in northern Italy, and attributed 

to use of spoiled maize. 
Peptone. A proteid body produced by the action of digestion. 
Peripheral. Pertaining to the periphery. 
Peristalsis. The vermicular motion of the bowels. 

Phagocytosis. The destruction of microbes by the action of phago- 
cytes. 
Phosphaturia. The presence in the urine of phosphates. 
Polyneuritis. Affecting several nerves. 
Prostatitis. Inflammation of the prostate gland. 
Proteids. A general term for the albumin and albuminoid constituents 

of the organism. 
Protein. The sulphur-free residue of a proteid after the action of 

caustic potash. 
Ptyalin. A starch-converting ferment of saliva. 
Purin. Unclean or poisonous substance foreign to our alimentary 

organism. 
Pylorus. The opening of the stomach into the duodenum. 
Pyorrhea, Alveolar. Progressive necrosis of the dental alveoli, or 

teeth sockets. The death of a circumscribed piece of tissue. 

Rennet. An infusion of the inner coat of a calf's stomach. 

Spermatozoa. Male sexual cells or sperm cells of an animal, whose 

function is the fertilization of the egg. 
Staphylococci. Fission fungi. Bacteria. 
Stenosis. A narrowing or constriction. 
Streptococci. Form of genus of Schizomycetes of which the cocci are 

arranged in strings. A form of bacteria. 
Sulphate Ammonium. Combination of a salt of sulphuric acid and the 

hypothetic base of ammonia. 

Therapy, Therapeutics. That branch of medical science concerned 
with the application of remedies and the treatment of disease. 



406 Glossary. 



Thyroid Gland. A reddish organ, one of the so-called ductless glands, 
giving rise to one or more internal secretions and situated in front 
and on either side of the trachea. 

Toxalbumins. Poisonous soluble albuminoids producing specific dis- 
eases. 

Trichina. A genus of nematode (thread-like) worms, of which one 
species, the spiralis, is parasitic in the hog and at times in man. 

Trichinosis. A disease produced by the ingestion of pork containing 
the Trichina spiralis. 

Trypsin. A ferment of pancreatic juice which has the power of con- 
verting proteids into peptones, best in alkaline solution, but also 
active in neutral solution. 



LIST OF DISEASES. 



Acetonuria, 217 

Acid eructations, 113, 208, 235, 317 

Acid fermentation, 95, 113, 329 

Acromegaly, 20 

Anemia, 75, 163, 336 

Appendicitis, 306 

Arteriosclerosis, 17, 50, 78, 108, 139, 
150, 221, 238, 247, 250, 281, 290, 
308, 312, 325, 326, 340, 348, 399 

Atrophy of jaws, 399 

Autointoxication, 400 

Barlow's disease, 21, 69, 229, 230 
Basedow's disease, 20, 21, 67, 69 
Beriberi, 21, 69, 229, 230, 231, 232 
Bladder disorders, 297 
Brain diseases, 378 
Bronchial catarrh, 332 

Catarrh of bladder, 255 

Catarrh of stomach, 36, 320 

Chlorosis, 75, 163 

Cholera, 32, 266 

Cirrhosis of liver, 108, 326 

Climacteric, 377 

Colic, 34, 41, 286, 307, 353 

Collemia, 53 

Constipation, 44, 215, 253, 279, 287, 

290, 354, 356, 391 
Cramps, 157 
Cretinism, 11, 375, 381 

Defective development of testicles, 
377 

Dementia praecox, 373, 377 

Diabetes, 20, 52, 53, 54, 94, 108, 135, 
139, 161, 164, 170, 208, 209, 218, 
222, 225, 228, 229, 237, 238, 246, 
250, 255, 256, 258, 263, 268, 276, 
281, 290, 304, 308, 316, 325, 326, 
330, 340, 349, 393 

Diarrhea, 45, 78, 116, 124, 196, 266, 
281, 287, 320, 326, 339 

Dilatation of stomach, 107, 354 

Diphtheria, 174 

Eczema, 155, 253 
Edema, 76 
Emphysema, 288 
Epilepsy, 69, 230, 378 



Fatty degeneration, 170 

Fevers, 290, 303 

Flatulence, 196, 207, 208, 238, 247, 

251, 252, 253, 257, 342, 353, 354, 

355 

Gall-bladder disease, 41 
Gall-stones, 40, 41, 288, 297, 348 
Goiter, 377 

Gonorrhea, acute, 199 
Gonorrhea, chronic, 199, 390 
Gout, 25, 53, 73, 108, 120, 135, 150, 
154, 170, 208, 221, 238, 250, 256, 
257, 276, 280, 288, 290, 297, 304, 
307, 317, 318, 326, 340, 348, 358, 
360, 374, 399 

Headache, 44 

Heart disease, 78, 170, 228, 247 
Hemorrhoids, 297 
Hysteria, 253, 316, 349, 379 

Idiocy, 373 

Impotence, 389, 390 

Intestinal catarrh, 158, 218, 259, 

266, 281, 287, 320 
Intestinal disorders, 150, 199, 208, 

235, 239, 252, 271, 281, 302, 345, 

349 

Jaundice, 165, 230, 238, 240 

Kidney diseases, 76, 115, 134, 254, 
255, 261, 265, 288, 297, 358 

Liver, diseases of, 49, 135, 228, 288, 
326 

Malnutrition, 98, 99, 100, 104, 108, 

381, 397, 398 
Melancholia, 377, 378 
Menstrual disorders, 253 
Mental depression, 44, 260 
Mental disturbances, 374, 378, 379 

Nausea, 44 

Nervous depression, 162 

Nervous dyspepsia, 23, 180 

(407) 



408 



List of Diseases. 



Nervousness, 17, 313, 315, 317, 324, 

326, 345, 374, 379, 390 
Neurasthenia, 23, 35, 162, 180, 349, 

379 

Obesity, 94, 108, 111, 206, 229, 238, 
240, 256, 257, 288, 325, 340, 349, 
362, 363 

Osteomalacia, 20, 21, 71, 374 

Ovarian insufficiency, 391 

Ovaries, diseases of, 377, 390 

Overacidity of stomach, 34, 38, 
181, 238, 240, 276, 308, 312, 345 

Oxalic acid diathesis, 323 

Oxaluria, 254 

Pellagra, 230, 231, 232 
Pharyngeal catarrh, 332 
Phosphaturia, 251 
Polyneuritis, 21, 69, 229, 378 
Pregnancy, 60, 377 
Prostate, diseases of, 256 
Prostatitis, 20, 256, 390 
Psychic disturbances, 377 
Pyorrhoea alveolaris, 25 



Rachitis, 71, 73 
Rashes, 281, 309 
Renal calculi, 326, 349 

Scurvy, 21 

Sexual apathy, 390 

Sexual exhaustion, 387 

Skin diseases, 254, 288 

Stomach disorders, 107, 235, 303, 

312, 320, 345 
Strangury, 256 
Syphilis, 17, 108 

Throat inflammation, chronic, 282 
Tuberculosis, 97, 99, 101 to 106, 

120, 133, 138, 164, 174, 177, 230, 

336 364 391 
Typhoid 'fever, 79, 157, 158, 174, 

195, 253 

Uric acid diathesis, 313 
Urticaria, 158 

Varicocele, 377, 390 
Vesical calculi, 326 



INDEX. 



Acetone bodies, 94, 201 
Acid fermentation, 113, 287 
Acromegaly, 378 
Adrenals, 55, 66, 67 
Age, 83, 84 
Aging, 398 
Albumin, 58 

animal, 137 

decomposition of, 44 

ingestion of, 60, 94 

nourishment, 48 
Alcohol, 28, 34,.36, 51, 53, 323, 359 
Alcoholic drinks, 323 to 327 
Ale, 324 

Alicante grapes, 284 
Almonds, 293, 296, 298 
Anemia, 75, 163, 336 
Anis, 333 

Anthropoid apes, 101 
Appetite, 90 
Apple cider, 278 

juice, 277, 278, 279 

tea, 277, 278 

wine, 278 
Apples, 274, 275, 276, 277 

"kostliche," 276 
Apricots, 274, 275, 276, 279 
Arsenic, 66, 77, 163 
Arteriosclerosis, 50, 78, 134, 139, 
238, 247, 284, 288, 312, 325, 
326, 348, 355 
Artichokes, 257 
Asparagin, 238, 255 
Asparagus, 247, 255, 391 
Asses' milk, 176 
Aztecs, 145 

Bacterial action, 44 

in milk, 174 
Bananas, 273, 299, 344, 364, 395 

dried, 301 
Barley, 212, 217 
Barlow's disease, 21, 69 
Batates (sweet potatoes), 234, 236 
Bay leaves, 333 
Bean foods, 207 

puree soup, 207 
Beans, 207, 267, 357 

assimilation of, 267 

green, 267, 356 

horse, 388 

soy, 208 



Beans, string, 267 
Beef, 110, 118 
Beer, 323, 324 

Bavarian, 364 

dark, 324 
Beet sugar, 329 
Beets, 262 
Beriberi, 21, 69, 230 
Berries, 280, 281, 282 
Berry wines, 326 
Bilberry, 27, 272, 282, 289, 290 

juice, 289, 290 
Bile, 40, 41 

activity of, 40, 41 
Biliner water, 359 
Biscuit (zwieback), 224 
Black bread, 356 
Blackberries, 282 
Bladder, catarrh of, 255 

stones in, 325, 326 
Blood, 51, 77, 99, 381 

albumin content of, 51 

alkalinity of, 248 

composition of, 51 

hemoglobin content of, 51 

lack of, 327 _ 

osmotic tension of, 65 
Blood-pressure, 312 

increase of, 134 
Blood-pudding (sausage), 125 
Blood-soup of Spartans, 15 
Blueberries, 281 
Boletus bulbosus, 243, 244 

luteus, 243 
Bonbons, 321 
Bones as food, 126 
Borax, 115 
Bordeaux plums, 279 

wines, 325 
Boric acid, 115, 267, 291 
Bouillon, 90, 139 
Brain, 126 

diseases of, 378 

functions of, 73 

phosphorus content of, 69, 355 

worker, diet of, 379 
Bran, 214 
Bread, dark, 223 

white, 223, 380 
Breads, table of composition of, 

224 
Breakfast, 92, 93 

(409) 



410 



Index. 



Brie cheese, 186, 187 
Brimsen cheese, 186 
Bronchial catarrh, 332 
Brun, 324 

Brussels sprouts, 247, 258 
Buckwheat, 212, 218 

meal, 213 

nutritive salts of, 218 
Burgundy, 325 
Butter, 82, 189, 191 

cabbage, 247 

milk, 183, 184, 185 

Cabbage, nutritive salts contained 
in, 248 

red, 247 
Caffeine, 311, 312 
Calcium metabolism, 374 
Calories, 59 
Calves' brains, 43, 350 
Camenbert cheese, 186 
Cane sugar, 42, 329, 343 
Cannibalism, 81 
Capacity, intellectual, 372 
Capers, 333 
Capon, 117 
Caraway seeds, 333 
Carbohydrate diet, 95 

food, 57, 95 
Carbohydrates, 57, 62, 394 
Carbonic acid, 98 
Caribou, 114 
Carp, 151, 352 
Carrots, 74 
Casein, 35, 184 
Cassava, 239 
Castrated animals, 142 
Castration, 71, 377 

of animals, 117 
Catalyzers, 66 

Cauliflower, 247, 248, 251, 257 
Caviar, 167, 385 
Celery, 253, 262, 391 
Cell nuclei, 109 
Cellulose, 338 

digestion of, 43 
Centenarians, inquest regarding, 

401 
Cereals, 212, 344 
Ceres fruit juices, 290 
Cheese, 28, 172, 185, 347, 382 

Cheddar, 186 

Dutch, 186 

Liptauer, 186 

nutrient salt content of Swiss 
cheese, 187 

table of composition of varieties 
of, 187 
Cherries, 274, 275, 282 



Cherries, dried, 284 - 3 £ ■ 
Cherry juice, 289, 290 
Chestnut puree, 238 
Chestnuts, 291, 292 

nutritive salts in, 293 
Chewing gum, 27 
Chicken, 117, 142 
Chicory, 253, 254, 310 
Chives, 333 
Chlorophyll, 251 
Chocolate, 318 
Cholera bacilli, 175 
Cider, 278 
Cinnamon, 228, 334 
Clover, 197 
Cocoa, 318 

Dutch, 320 

nutritive salt content of, 319 
Cocoanut, 292, 293, 296 
Codfish, 147, 148, 152 
Codliver oil, 200, 386 
Coffee, 50, 254, 309 

caffeine-free, 344 

Carlsbad, 311 

nutritive salt content of, 311 
Cognac, 327 
Cold, 63 

Cold-storage rooms, 114 
Colman grapes, 287 
Concrement, uric acid, 308 
Constipation, 44, 284 
Convent (nunnery), 391 
Cooking, 84, 173, 340 

lessons, 87 

of fish, 84 

of meat, 112 

of vegetables, 73, 84 

salt, 77, 237 
Copra, 292 
Corn, 196, 212, 230, 240 

flour, 213 

nutrient salt content of, 223 

grains, nutrient salt content of, 
223 
Cottonseed oil, 201, 292 
Cows' milk, 170 
Crabs, 158, 159, 387 
Cream, 182, 190, 363, 364 

cheeses, 186, 364 

of wheat, 221 

sauce, 367 

whipped, 183 
Cress, 252 
Cryoscopy, 76 
Cucumber, 265 
Curative herbs, 253 
Currant juice, 289 
Currants, 272, 274, 275, 281 
Cystase, 338 



Index. 



411 



Dates, 297 

Diabetes, 52, 154, 237, 238, 240, 255, 

276, 308, 326, 340 
Diarrhea, 281, 326 

chronic, 302 
Diathesis, uric acid, 313 
Diet, influence of, on growth, 12 
mind and temperament, 17 
nervous system, 17 
organs of digestion, 28 
physical appearance, 12 
size of body, 12 
teeth, throat, and vocal appa- 
ratus, 24 
in various ages, 83 
climates, 81 
seasons, 82 
non-residual, 355 
of both sexes, 84 
one-sided, 94 
rich in phosphorus, 74 
Digestibility, 90 
of foods in stomach and intes- 
tine, 43, 47 
table of, 352 
Digestion, stimulation of, 134 
Digestive juices, 29 
Dilatation of stomach, 107, 354 
Diphtheria, 174 
Drinking, 399 
water, 77 
hard, 80 

lime containing, 26 
Drinks, alcoholic, 323 

hot, 90 
Duck, 123 

meat, 123 
Ducks of Rouen, 141 
Ductless glands, 140, 399 
Dulcin, 330 
Dwarfs, tribes of, 10, 11 

Eating, mode of, 88 

rapid, 89 
Eel, 147, 149, 150 
Eggs, 70, 160, 380, 383 

duck, 163 

hard-boiled, 160 

nutritive salt content of, 162, 163 
value of, 161, 162 

raw, 160 

soft-boiled, 160 
Emphysema, 288 
Enciamada, 322 
Endive, 254, 267 
Enemas, 47 
Epilepsy, 69 
Erepsin, 33, 39 
Erlauer wine, 325 



Eruptions caused by food, 14 
Eunuchs, 377 
Evening meal, 91, 92 
Export cheeses, 187 
Extractive substances, 130, 139, 
141, 143, 151 

Faro, 324 

Fats, 38, 39, 42, 55, 59, 63, 94 

animal, 200, 201 

metabolism of, 55 
Fattening cures, 363 
Fatty acids, 292 

cheeses, 186, 187 

diet, 42 
Fear of death, 142 
Feces, 45, 340, 355, 357 
Fennel, 333 
Ferment, 39 
Fertilizing, 5 
Field beans, 204 

(horse beans), 388 

mushrooms, 243, 244 

salad, 268 
Figs, 273, 274, 275 
Fish, 64, 379 

diet, 144, 380, 387 
advantages of, 152 

eating, 384, 385 

milt, 151 

roe, 151, 153, 167 

table of nutritive substance con- 
tent, 147 

without scales, 146 
Flatulence, 353, 354, 355 

causing foods, 353 
Flour foods, 218, 342, 343 

table of composition of varieties 
of, 213 
Flying, 393 
Fogosch, 155 
Food, insufficiency of, 96, 97 

temperature of, 33 
Foods, assimilability of, 42, 45 

difficult to digest, 350 

easily digested, 350 

fattening, 363 

fatty, 201 

hot, 90 

rich in nuclein, 385 
phosphorus, 374 
Frankenthal grapes, 284 
Fright products, 141 
Fruit diet, 270, 306 

eaters, 337 

eating, 306 

juices, 289 

table of composition of, 289 

vinegar, 333 



412 



Index. 



Fruit wines, 333 
Fruits, constituents of, 273 
fatty, table of composition of, 

293 
nutrient salt content of, 275 
sugar content of, 258 
table of nutrient salt content of, 

275 
table of sugar and acid content 
of, 272 
Fungi, 241 to 246 
calorie content of, 244 
digestibility of, 244 
lecithin content of, 245 
nutrient salt content of, 246 
phosphorus content of, 245 
table of composition of, 243 
dried, 243 

Gall, 40, 41 

activity of, 40, 41 
Gall-stones, 40, 41, 288 
Game, wild, 113, 365 
Garbanzos, 206 
Garden beans, 204 

peas, 267 

strawberries, 280 
Garlic, 333 

Gas, formation of, 354 
Gases, 43, 44, 353 
Gastric juice, 30, 32, 34, 35, 78 

psychic, 96 
Gelatin, 62 
Gervais cheese, 364 
Gianduia di Torino, 321 
Giesshubler mineral water, 359 
Ginger, 333 

Goats' milk, 175, 176, 178 
Goose, 112, 123 

fat, 351 

-liver patties, 125 

meat, 38 
Gooseberries, 272, 274, 275, 281 
Gout, 73, 139, 154, 256, 284, 288, 290, 
307, 313, 325, 340, 348, 358, 
374 
Gouty patients, 208 
Graham bread, 224, 225 

Swedish, 201 
Grains, 212 

table of composition of, 212 
Grape cures, 288 
Grapefruit, 302, 357 
Grapes, 272, 274, 275, 284, 286, 288 
Gravel (kidney disease), 325 
Ground nuts, 293, 295, 343 
Growth, 58, 72 
Gruyere cheese, 187 



Guavas, 304 
Gudgeons, 380 

Haddock, 152 

Ham, 120, 350, 355 

Hardening of arteries, see Arte- 
riosclerosis. 

Hare, 124, 125 

Hazelnuts, 293, 295 

Head salad, 248, 268 

Heart, 50 

Helvella lacunosa, 243, 244 

Herring, 146, 150 

Hindoos, diet of, 15 

Hog, 119 

Honey, 25, 70 

Horse beans, 388 

Horse radish, 263 

Hot drinks, 90 

Hotels, 365 

Hot-house grapes, 284 

Hungarian wine, 325 

Hunger, 48, 362 

Husk vegetables, 261 

Hydrochloric acid, 30, 31, 32, 34, 
37, 38 
content of stomach, 37 

Hypophysis, 11, 55 

Ice-cream, 328, 330 

soda, 330 
Immunity, 101, 102 
Impotence, 388 
Indian corn, 230 
Inns, 365 
Insomnia, 312 
Intellectual capacity, 374 

influence of food upon, 18 
Intelligence, 374, 377 
Intestinal catarrh, 259, 287, 290 

disturbances, 239 

putrefaction, 285 
Intestine, 37 

bacteria of, 44 

movements of, 41 
Iodine, 67, 68, 76, 77 
Iron, 67, 68, 74, 75, 77, 176, 314, 387 

content of blood, 74, 75 

in foods, 75 

preparations, 75 

Jaws, atrophy of, 399 

Jellies, 289 

Jogurt, 179, 181, 348, 357 

Kaiser pears, 278 
Kaki, 304, 305 
Kefir, 179, 180, 348 
Kemirinut, 295 



Index. 



413 



Kidney diseases, 255 

patients, 240 
Kidneys as food, 126 
Kinase, 39 
Kohlrabi, 263 
Koran, 297 
Koumiss, 179, 180 
Krondorfer mineral water, 359 

Labor, 16 
Lactase, 42 
Lactic acid, 287 
Lager beer, 324 
Lamb kidneys, 126 

meat, 119, 351 
Lambic (Belgian beer), 23 
Laxative foods, 356, 357 
Lecithin, 69, 70, 125, 162, 172, 205, 
331, 374 

assimilation, 70 

content in foods, 74 
Leguminous vegetables, 202, 356 
digestibility of, 43 
nutritive salt content of, 204 
table of composition of, 204 
Lemon, 275, 302, 333 

juice, 268, 333 
Lentils, 204, 205, 354 
Libido, 22 
Lichees, 305 

Liebig's meat extract, 131 
Lime, 20, 21, 66, 68, 103, 373 

content of foods, 73 

elimination of, 20 

metabolism, 374 
Linseed oil, 292 
Liver, 48, 49, 50, 135 

cirrhosis of, 108, 326 
Lobster, 158, 387 
Longevity, 397 to 401 

Macaroni, 219, 220 
Madeira, 327 
Maizena, 337 
Malaga, 327 

grapes, 298 
Malic acid, 285 
Malt cocoa, 321 
Maltase, 41 
Manganese, 274 
Mango, 304 
Mangoguani, 14 
Manihot, 239 
Manioc, 234, 239 
Maori, 81 

Maple syrup, 221, 328, 343 
Marjoram, 333 
Marmalades, 291 
Marrow, 126 



Masais, 101 

food of the, 15 
Mastication, 26 
Mate, 316 

nutritive salts in, 316 
Meals, division of, 88, 91 
Meat, 144, 401 

assimilation of, 111, 113 

bouillon, 139 

cooked, 139 

diet, 41 

diet of the Eskimos, 10 

digestibility of, 112 

eaters, 19, 70 

extractives of, 54 

extracts, 90, 129 
composition of, 130 

nutritive contents of, 111 

poisonous action of, 117 

preserved, 115 

raw, 138 

roasted, 112 

soups, 129 

various kinds of, 111 
Medlars, 272, 273 
Melancholia, 378 
Men, diet for, 84 
Mental state, 47 
Metabolism, overloading of, 108 
Midday meal, 91 
Milk, 83, 96, 106, 169 

assimilation of, 171 

composition of various kinds of, 
171 

diet, 172, 193, 339 
advantage of, 339 

digestibility of, 170 

food, 193 

hot, 198 

products, 197 

raw, 195 

sour, 179 

sterilized, 171, 195 

table of nutritive salt content of, 
170 
Milk-egg-vegetable diet, 139, 382 
Milk-egg vegetarianism, 382 
Milking, 174 
Millet, 212, 218 
Mineral metabolism, 65, 67 

waters, 353, 359 
laxative, 45 
Minimums, law of, 65 
Mixed pickles, 270 
Moderation, 398 
Montezuma, 145, 318 
Morchella elata, 242, 243, 244 
Mosel wine, 325 
Mouth and hoof disease, 174 



414 



Index. 



Mulberries, 272, 282 

Muranae, 149 

Muscular efforts, 312, 321 

fatigue, 393 

strength, increase of, 392 

work, source of, 61, 63 
Mushrooms, 241, 245, 268 

calories, contents of, 244 

digestibility of, 244 

table of composition of, 243 
Mussels, 158 
Mustaid oil, 264 

Nectar, 331 

Nerves, diseases of, 326 

Nervous affections. 326 

system, 17, 20, 130, 133 
Nitrogen, 57, 58 

balance, 96 
Non-residual diet, 355 
Noodles, 219 

Nucleins, 70, 109, 136, 138, 376 
Nucleoproteids, 385 
Nunnery, 391 
Nutritive salts, 63, 172, 373, 398 

substances, importance of various, 
57 
Nuts, 292, 293 

nutritive salts of, 295 

Oat flakes, 216 

flour, 213 
puree of, 216 

gruel, 216 
Oats, 212, 216, 342 

nutritive salts of, 217 
Obesity, 257, 288, 362 
Ofener wine, 325 
/Oleomargarine, 189, 191, 192 
i/ Olive, 268 

oil, 268, 351 
Onions, 333 

Oranges, 272, 275, 302, 303 
Osteomalacia, 20, 374 
Ovarian extract, 363 
Ovaries, 70, 363 
Overnutrition, 107, 108 
Ox, 116 

Oxalic acid, 251, 309, 319, 323 
Oxaluria, 254 
Oxygen, 98 
Oyster plant, 256, 262 
Oysters, 157 

Pancakes, 219, 221 
Pancreas, 39, 40, 52, 54, 67 _ 
action of food on secretion of, 
41 
Pancreatic juice, 38, 40, 96 



Pancreatin, 38, 39 
Paprika, 333 

Parmesan cheese, 187, 188 
Parsley, 253, 333 
Partridge, 122 
Peach juice, 289 
Peaches, 272, 273, 279 
Pear cider, 278 

juice, 278 
Pears, 272, 273, 275, 278 
Peas, 204, 266 

green garden, 247 
Pellagra, 231 
Pepper, 332, 333 
Pepsin, 32, 33, 35, 113, 338 
Pfalz wines, 325 
Pharyngeal catarrh, 332 
Pharyngitis, chronic, 282 
Pheasant, 122 
Phosphatic calculi, 349 
Phosphaturia, 251 

Phosphorus, 20, 21, 66, 67, 68, 69, 
70, 126, 138, 147, 373, 375, 
379, 386 

assimilation of, 70 

content in foods, 72 

elimination of, 20 

lack of, 21 

metabolism, 67, 378 

organic combinations of, 376 

retention, 376 
Pig, 119 

lard, 201 
Pigeon, 112, 123, 393 
Pike, 154 
Pineapple, 304 
"Pisangs," 300 
Pistachio nuts, 293 
Plum kernels, 307 

marmalade, 291 
Plums, 279 

California, 279, 357 

dried, 279 
Polyneuritis, 229 
Pork, 38, 119 

and beans, 207 

lard, 201 
Port wine, 327 
Porter, 325 
Potash salt, 76 
Potato noodles, 294 

puree, 235, 238 

sweet, 238 
Potatoes, 234 

composition of, 226 

digestibility of, 235 

in noodles, 219 

mashed, 355 

nutritive salts of, 237 



Index. 



415 



Potatoes, roasted, 355 
Potency, sexual, 22 
Priests, diet of Egyptian, 384 
Principal meal, 92 
Prosecretion, 38 
Prostate, diseases of, 256 
Prostatitis, 390 
Prunes, 272, 274, 275 
Psychic disturbances, 377 
Puberty, 58, 72, 104, 135, 164, 328 
Puff beans, green, 247 
Pumpernickel, 224, 225 
Pumpkin, 265 

Purin bases, 52, 109, 150, 151, 208, 
221, 359, 361 
bodies, 348, 360 

Rachitis, 71, 72 
Radishes, 262, 263 
Raisins, 228, 298 
Rapid eating, 89 
Raspberries, 272, 273, 281 
Raspberry juice, 289 
Red cabbage, 247, 258 
Rennet coagulation, 73 
Restaurant, vegetarian, 368 
Rhein wines, 325 
Rhubarb, 254 
Rice, 226, 298, 334, 343, 347 

as diet of nations, 15 

eating, 226 

nourishment, 19 

nutritive salts in, 227, 228 

polished, 212, 229 
Rickets (see Rachitis). 
Roasted meat, 112 
Root vegetables, nutritive salt con- 
tent of, 262 
table of composition of, 262 
Roquefort cheese, 187 
Rose cabbage (see Brussels Sprouts). 
Rye, 212 

bread, 224 

flour, 213, 215 

Saccharin, 291, 328, 330 
Saffron, 333, 334 
Sago, 234, 239, 337, 343, 347 
Salads, 267, 268, 269 
Salicylic acid, 115, 291 
Saliva, 24, 25, 26, 27 

secretion of, 26, 160 
Salmon, 147, 150, 153 
Salt, 63, 151 

Salvator mineral water, 359 
Sardine, 151 
Sarton, 209, 342 
Sauerkraut, 259, 260, 261 
Sausages, 125, 127, 128 



Savoy cabbage, 247 

assimilation of, 249 
Saxin, 330 

School children, cretinous, 381 
Scurvy, 21 
Sea fish, 148 
Semen, 389 
Sexual abstemiousness, 391 

activity, 384, 385, 386, 387 

apathy, 388, 389, 390 

glands, 11, 55, 141, 378, 389 

licentiousness, 389 

potency, 22, 389, 390 
Shark, 81 
Sheep's milk, 171, 172, 175 

composition of, 176 
Shellfish, 156 
Shrimps, 159 
Skim milk, 183 
Slaughter-house wastes, 125 
Sleep, 22 

Sleeplessness, 312 
Snails, 159 

Soja bean, 208, 209, 210, 211 
Sole, 152 
Sorrel, 251, 252 
Spanish peppers, 232 
Spermatozoa, 136, 385 
Spices, 332, 333, 334, 359 
Spinach, 247, 248, 251, 252 
Spleen, 67, 75 
Squab (pigeon), 112, 123 
Starch, 45, 239 
Steaming, 112 

apparatus, 341 
Steapsin, 39 
Sterility, 390 
Stomach, 36, 188 

dilatation, 107, 354 

overacidity of, 240, 345 
Stools, 45, 46, 339 
Stout, 324 

Strawberries, 272, 273, 275, 280, 281 
Strawberry juice, 289 

wine, 327 
Strict vegetarian, 336, 338 
Strictly vegetarian diet, 338, 340, 

342 
String beans, 247 
Sugar, 328, 329, 330 

elimination of, 237 

ingestion of, 393 
Sulphur, 67 

Swedish graham bread, 201 
Sweet potatoes, 238 
Sweetbreads, 52, 126, 136 

Table d'hote meals, 365, 370 
Tamale, 232 




yylsU. 



416 



Index. 



Tannic acid, 313, 314 

Tannin, 285 

Tapioca, 234, 239, 337, 343, 344, 351 

Tartaric acid, 285 

Taste, 1 

elements of (flavoring), 109, 110 
Tea, 50, 51, 313, 314, 315 

black, 314 

digestibility of, 315 

green, 314 

nutrient salts in, 314 
Temperament, 22, 23 
Testicular extract, 378 

insufficiency, 377, 389 
Thein, 315 
Thirst, 376 

quenching of, 376 
Thyroid gland, 11, 54, 55, 67, 71, 72, 
75, 76, 106, 133, 134, 358, 
374, 375, 376, 389 
treatment, 377 
Tobacco, 28 
Tokay wine, 327 
Tomato, 264 

sauerkraut, 260 
Tours, food taken during fatiguing, 

395 
Tropical fruits, 269 
Trout, 151 
Truffle, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246 

white German, 245 
Trypsin, 39 
Tuberculosis, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 

106, 133, 138, 164, 336 
Tubers, 261 
Turbot, 152 
Turkey, 121 

Turnips, nutritive content of yel- 
low, 261 

Teltower, 262 
Turtle, 159 
Typhoid fever, 174 
Tyrolese wine, 325 

Undernutrition, 379 
Urea, 49 

Uric acid, 52, 109, 129, 139, 154, 161, 
193, 228, 240, 313 

diathesis, 313 

forming foods, 358, 359, 360 

producers, 208, 374 



Vanilla, 334 
Veal, 111, 118, 119 
Vegetable albumin, 202 

casein, 202 

diet, 43, 70 

eaters, 70 

fats, 201 

nutrition, 74 
Vegetables, cooking of, 73 

green, 246 to 259 
composition of, 247, 248 

preserved, 267, 269 
Vegetarian diet, 17, 336, 382, 383 
Vegetarianism, 336 to 340 
Vichy water, 237 

Walnuts, 293, 294, 295 
Water, 33, 35, 77 to 80 

cress, 252, 253 

distilled, 310 

drinking, 79, 311 
Week preservation process, 269 
Wheat, 212 

flour, 213, 214 
coarse, 224 
fine, 223, 224 

nutritive salts of, 214 
Whey, 184, 185, 198 
Whipped cream, 183 
Whisky, 82, 327 
White bread, 222, 223, 380 

cabbage, 247, 248, 258, 259 

wine, 326 
Whole corn bread, 215 

milk, 183 

wheat bread, 342 
Wild duck, 122 

game, 113 

strawberries, 280 
Wine, 325 

Tyrolese, 325, 326, 327 

vinegar, 333 
Woman, nursing, 68 
Woman's milk, 172, 177 
Women, diet for, 84 
Work, 16, 393, 394 

Yellow turnips, 261, 262 
Yolk of egg, 74, 75 

nourishment in, 160 

Zwieback, 224 
Zylase, 44 



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